Lost Beginnings
by mysticalweather
Summary: SG1 finds the answer to a 400 year old unsolved American mystery, while trying to find the cure to a strange and terrible disease. In Season 7 between Chimera and Death Knell, DanJan established relationship. COMPLETE!
1. Prologue

_1590 A.D. _

Elizabeth Viccars looked into the sky, praying for any sign of a storm cloud. The rains had not come for many days, and food among the colony was becoming scarce. Even the nearby Indian tribe refused to help, as they too were suffering from the effects of the severe drought.

With a sigh, Elizabeth shifted her green eyes from the bright sky to the raging seawaters spread out before her. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she gazed into the horizon. If only Governor White would return with the promised supplies from England, then the colony would be saved. And yet, no matter how long or hard she looked, there was still no sign of the captain. He was only to spend a few months in England before returning to Roanoke. Surely, his ship would return soon.

Fear ached inside of Elizabeth. But what if soon wasn't soon enough? She dispelled that thought along with her fear. Now was not the time to be afraid.

Her thoughts wandered back in time as she remembered how she came to be here. She was one of only a handful of women willing to reestablish the colony at Roanoke after the first failed attempt. After the death of her mother, England held no joy for her family. She, her father, and her younger brother decided that leaving England to establish a colony in the Americas was the best way for their family to start over. And so they left.

In all, the Roanoke colony consisted of ninety men, seventeen women, and nine children. One hundred and sixteen souls brave enough to risk everything and start over in the New World. Their journey across the sea had been long and grueling. But they had made it.

And for what? To die of starvation a mere two years after reaching their Promised Land?

Elizabeth sighed in frustration.

In the distance she could hear her younger brother, Abe, calling her name. Turning away from the ocean, she headed back towards the colony.

* * *


	2. Part 1

Daniel Jackson swung the front door open and quietly stepped into the house. It had been a long day, and he was grateful to be home. As he shrugged his coat off and turned to hang it on the nearby hook, he noticed a familiar figure sitting alone in the dark.

"Janet?"

Her only answer was the stony silence that followed.

"Why are you sitting in the dark?" Daniel asked, reaching to turn the living room lamp on.

Warm light filled the room around her, yet she still said nothing.

"Come on, Teal'c, talk to me." Daniel said playfully.

That was definitely the wrong thing to say. Storm clouds filled her eyes, and Daniel swallowed involuntarily. He wasn't sure exactly what he'd done...but being on the receiving end of Janet's temper was never a good thing. That's when he noticed her outfit. She wore a sleek, form-fitting black dress that stopped just above her knee. Her auburn hair was elegantly swept up in a clip; loose wisps of hair framed her lovely face. God, she looked breathtaking.

And suddenly it hit him. Dinner. It was their 6-month anniversary and they were supposed to go out tonight. Janet had even left work a little early to get dressed.

And dressed she had been. For nearly five hours.

"Oh, God, Janet." Daniel breathed.

Silently, Janet rose from the couch and brushed by him, not even meeting his eyes as she walked towards the stairs.

Daniel let out a tired sigh. This hadn't been his day at all.

"Janet? Wait!" He called after her retreating figure. She didn't even pause. "Dammit Janet, I'm trying to explain!"

With that, she stopped in the middle of the staircase, and then whirled around to face him. Her arms were crossed and she was wearing her no-nonsense expression.

"Well?" She said expectantly.

He opened his mouth to answer, but she exploded before he ever started to speak. "No, let me guess, Daniel. You were back on the base working on some stupid alien device. And it was so intriguing, and so you just had to spend five hours studying the damn thing! The very five hours I've been here alone waiting for you on our anniversary. Is that about right?"

"Why are you giving me a guilt trip?" Daniel countered, his own voice rising in anger. "Yeah, I got caught at work. It happens. Happens a hell of a lot more to you than it does me, come to think of it. So, yeah, I missed one dinner because I had work to do. It was important!"

Janet glared down at him. "I thought I was important to you too, Daniel. Obviously, I was wrong!" With that Janet stormed the rest of the way up the stairs and slammed the bedroom door so hard the pictures on the wall shook.

Daniel's eyes rolled in the back of his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose. No, this definitely had not been his day at all.

* * *

"Daniel, hurry up!" Jack barked into his radio. "We don't have all day!"

In a daze, Daniel realized he'd been staring off again. Jack probably thought he had purposely wondered off to go inspect something of interest. If only. Daniel sighed and hurried to catch up with his team. Fortunately, Sam had bent down to collect some soil samples, so the others hadn't gotten too far ahead of him.

When Daniel had rejoined the group, they continued on their way. P3X-290 was a nice enough as far as planets go. The terrain was a little rockier than most, but the blue sky, the shinning sun, and the large field lined by a forest of trees made the planet seem rather peaceful.

"Where is it, Carter?" Jack asked.

Sam quickly conferred with the small device she was holding. "About two clicks east of here."

"Damn UAVs, why can't they ever have a soft landing? You know, the kind that doesn't require us to go looking for them?"

"Well, sir, it might've had a softer landing if you hadn't grabbed the controls from me."

"Easy..." Jack said in a warning tone, but there was a hint of a smile in his eyes. "Let's just find the damn thing so you can fix it."

"O'Neill!" Teal'c called from up ahead. "I believe I have found something."

Jack, Sam, and Daniel quickened their pace as they walked over to where Teal'c was standing. The field they'd been walking across took a sudden drop and spilled into a low valley plain that was nestled between a large rocky hill and the forest.

Looking down at the valley below, it was obvious to Daniel that this place had once been a settlement of some kind. Descending the steep ridge as carefully and quickly as possible, SG-1 went to get a closer look. Vegetation had overgrown much of what was there, but the rocky ground remained somewhat charred, as if a great fire had swept through the area many years ago.

Amazingly, the forest of trees seemed to be unaffected by whatever devastation had occurred. Walking closer to them, Daniel theorized that perhaps the wind had blown the fire away from the forest. Or maybe rain had extinguished the fire before it could reach the tree line. As Daniel continued searching the area for clues, he noticed there was a lone tree that stood out a few feet away from the others. As he got closer, something else caught his eye. Fascinated, Daniel hunched over the tree trunk and began running his fingers along the carvings in the wood.

"Hey guys!" Daniel called. "Come take a look at this."

It didn't take Jack, Sam, and Teal'c long to reach Daniel's side. Wordlessly Daniel pointed towards his find.

"Croa'tan." Sam read aloud. "What does that mean?"

Daniel's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to think. Leaving Earth while Janet was not speaking to him seemed to have completely shot his ability to concentrate. And spending the whole night on the hard couch hadn't exactly helped either.

"Something...I know I've heard it before, I just...I can't quite place it." Daniel sighed. "Teal'c, have you ever heard of anything like this?"

Teal'c peered at the carving quizzically and tilted his head in thought, "I have not, Daniel Jackson."

'At least this gives me something other than Janet to focus on.' Daniel noted briefly as his mind started whirling, trying to figure out where he'd heard of another similarly mysterious carving.

Jack sighed loudly as he snapped the case of his watch closed. "Well, kids, I hate to interrupt, but we'll just have to save this for another...team. We need to get going before it gets dark."

* * *


	3. Part 2

_1590 A.D. _

Ambrose Viccars stared at his daughter, a slow smile crossing his worn face. She looked so much like her mother. She was beautiful, with the same green eyes, the same red hair, and the same fighting spirit.

Sometimes looking at Elizabeth was almost painful; she reminded him so much of the woman he had lost. But most of the time, having such a precious piece of his dear wife with him gave him much comfort.

"Where's Abe?" Elizabeth asked, speaking of her younger brother. When she turned from looking out the window, she noticed that her father was gazing at her. "What is it, Father?" she asked, worry creeping into her voice.

"Oh, I was just thinking about how much like your mother you are."

"I miss her."

"I do too, my dear."

Noticing the sad, thoughtful look that had crossed his daughters face, Ambrose quickly made a decision. He rose from his chair in the sitting room and walked towards his bedroom room in the back of their small wooden home.

Elizabeth watched him go, curious at her father's sudden action. He had disappeared from her line of vision, but she could hear him rustling around his room as if he was searching for something, though Elizabeth couldn't imagine what it could be.

Moments later, Ambrose returned, sat back down in his chair, and gazed out the nearby window as if lost in thought.

"Father?" Elizabeth said in a questioning tone.

Ambrose's eyes remained fixed on the window for a moment. Finally, he turned his attention back to his daughter.

"Come here, child."

Elizabeth crossed the small room, and knelt beside her father. "What is it?" She asked, the worry returning to her voice.

Ambrose smiled as he took his daughter's hand into his own. "Your mother, God rest her soul, knew that she was sick. And before her death, she asked that I give this to you when the time was right."

With that, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a small package wrapped in a white cloth, and handed it to his daughter.

"What is it?" she asked, fingering the soft material.

"Open it and see."

Carefully, Elizabeth unfolded the cloth and revealed a small silver ring. The center of the ring featured a heart wearing a crown. On each side, the delicate band became two hands holding on to the heart.

"It's beautiful." She gasped as she slipped the ring on the fourth finger of her left hand. As she did so, an unexplainable feeling of completeness came over her. As if a missing piece of her was back in place at last.

"It's an Irish heirloom. It goes back many, many generations. The legend of the ring says it was given to one of your mother's ancestors by a man who was from beyond the stars themselves. The ring was given as a gift to protect the family."

"I guess it didn't work for Mother." Elizabeth said sadly, once again feeling the stabbing pain of her mother's death.

"It is only legend, dear. Besides, your mother rarely ever wore it. She claimed it was too big for her."

"Claimed?"

Ambrose chuckled softly, as if recalling a fond memory. "I think she was more afraid of losing it than anything."

"What does the symbol mean?"

"Ah, well. That's very special. The hands that hold the heart, they stand for friendship and togetherness. The heart itself stands for love. And the crown represents loyalty. Now, look inside the band itself."

Elizabeth slid the ring off her finger, and looked closely at the inside of the band. "Let Love and Friendship Reign Forever," she read aloud. "That's beautiful."

Ambrose's gray-blue eyes sparkled as he watched his daughter slip the ring back on. "Then it suites you well, my dear."

* * *

As usual, Daniel was rattling on about – something. Oy, one tree carving and his brain was off and running. 

Movement in the trees up ahead caught Jack's attention. He silenced Daniel by holding up a closed fist, thankful for the excuse to shut him up.

"Defensive positions," Jack ordered quietly.

He and the rest of SG-1 quickly dove behind some of the nearby trees for cover. Jack cocked his head to the side, tightened his grip on his P-90, and watched for any signs of danger.

After a few moments of waiting, they watched as a small group of people headed towards them. Human by the look of them, and best of all, none of them were dressed particularly Gould-ish. In fact, their clothing was very simple, dark pants and button-up shirts.

'They look like they belong on _Little House on the Prairie_.' Jack mused.

But you can never be too sure.

Cautiously, SG-1 came out from their hiding place behind the trees. Catching the eye of one of the newcomers, O'Neill offered a small wave, hoping to avoid any "first encounter" misunderstandings that seem to happen in these situations.

Surprise and fear played across the faces of the natives. Immediately, all three in the group dropped to the ground at the feet of SG-1.

"Please, my lords, the next shipment is almost ready. Tell our Goddess that it will not be late." Said the dark-haired man that Jack had waved to.

Jack glanced over at his teammates; Sam and Daniel shrugged in reply. Teal'c merely cocked his eyebrow.

"Uh...yeah." Jack said, hoping Daniel would jump in.

Daniel took his cue. He walked over to the kneeling man, gently grabbed his elbow, and helped him up. The others rose tentatively. "Uh, hi. I'm Daniel Jackson. This is Colonel Jack O'Neill, Major Sam Carter, and Teal'c."

"I am Thomas Brooke." The man said cautiously. He gestured to the others behind him. This is Edmond Gibbes and Robert Viccars. We come from the mining village of Hereford."

"Well, we come from from a place called Earth. It's way, way...out there." Jack said, waving his left arm emphatically.

"Earth?" Robert Viccars repeated.

"You cannot be from Earth." Edmond Gibbes said. "It is merely a legend."

"No..." Jack said, drawing the word out. "It's not a legend, it's a planet."

"What is your business here?" Edmond asked.

"We're explorers." Sam answered. "We've come to meet the people on this planet and hopefully become friends."

"Our village is the only inhabited place on this planet, and we do not often befriend outsiders. It is hard to trust those you do not know. Especially those who carry the mark." Thomas Brooke said, nodding towards Teal'c tattoo.

"I was once in service to the false god, Apophis. I am now free." Teal'c explained.

Thomas Brooke frowned thoughtfully before exchanging glances with his companions. "You no longer serve your god?"

"False god." Teal'c corrected.

Thomas Brooke seemed to consider Teal'c words carefully. Finally he replied. "Well...we saw a rather strange object fly close to our village. We were about to go see what it was. Perhaps you could accompany us and tell us more?"

* * *

SG-1 used the time it took tracking down the damaged UAV to strike up a friendly rapport with Thomas, Robert, and Edmond. By the time SG-1 had retrieved their missing probe night had already begun to fall. As an act of good faith, Robert Viccars invited SG-1 to stay in his home. And with that, Jack, Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c were led towards the small village of Hereford.

As they walked, Daniel racked his brain, trying to pull the different pieces together. The names of those they'd met were like normal, everyday names on earth. That in itself was intriguing. Also, they had a twinge of an almost...British accent. Not to mention the valley with the mysterious carving in the tree that they had found earlier that day.

"There it is," Thomas Brooke announced, pointing to a small village nestled into the bottom of the hillside. "Hereford."

Daniel couldn't help but notice how the landscape of Hereford's location was very similar to that of the valley they had just explored. As they gazed down upon the village, Daniel watched as Jack made a show of looking around, as if searching for something.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for Laura Ingalls."

"What?"

"This place! Doesn't it look like the _Little House on the Prairie_?"

"To what small grassland residence are you referring, O'Neill?" Teal'c inquired.

Jack threw Teal'c a "look" and started to explain what he had meant, but Daniel had stopped paying attention to what Jack was saying. His mind started to race as understanding finally began to dawn on him.

Suddenly the pieces were falling into place. The old television show that Jack had referred to had depicted a small village of settlers, one that looked much like the one they were walking towards.

Settlers, or maybe...colonists! If these people had descended from early American colonists it would explain their slight accent and English-based names. 'But, how is that possible?' Daniel wondered.

So many things just weren't adding up. After all, there must be some other clue that would…

Daniel nearly choked as the final piece fell into place. 'The carving on the tree!'

Though his area of expertise was ancient cultures, American history was not lost on him. Daniel stopped in his tracks. Could this be possible? Could they really have stumbled across the answer to one of the greatest archaeological mysteries in American history? Daniel shook his head in disbelief, sometimes Jack's unique point-of-view could solve more problems...

"Daniel?" Jack said, suddenly noticing that his friend had stopped walking.

"Roanoke." Daniel whispered in awe.

Confused, Jack cocked his head to the side and looked to Sam for an answer. Sam merely shrugged in reply. Jack turned back to Daniel, "Uh...can I buy a vowel?"

"Jack, the Lost Colony of Roanoke!"

"Of course! It all makes sense now…" Jack replied, throwing another confused look back at Sam.

"I think these people are descendants of the people from the lost colony!"

Sam's eyes narrowed in disbelief. "Wait, Daniel…what makes you think that? We know next to nothing about these people."

Hearing the conversation that was taking place behind him, Thomas Brooke turned and looked back at SG-1. "You know of Roanoke?" He asked, astonished.

"Uh...well, somewhat..." Daniel saw Thomas' confused expression and quickly hurried to explain. "It's part of our people's history. Over 400 years ago our world was still being explored. A group of people from a country called England traveled across an ocean to settle another part of our planet. But something happened. The settlement was lost, and no one ever found out what happened to them."

"But I still don't understand how you made that connection." Sam said to Daniel.

"Among other things…the carving in the tree we saw earlier. According to historical record, all that was found of the lost colony was a few small items scattered around the abandoned settlement...and a tree trunk with the word "Croa'tan" carved into it."

"Just like the one back there."

"Right…I knew that was familiar for some reason...anyway, no one's ever been able to figure out for sure what 'Croa'tan' was, why that marking was left, or where the colonists went. The best archaeologists have been able to do is guess."

In one motion, SG-1 looked to Thomas Brooke for answers. He, as well as his companions, looked completely baffled by the conversation they had just witnessed.

"Is something wrong?" Teal'c asked.

Robert Viccars looked as though he had seen a ghost. "Perhaps we should show them the journals."

"Are you mad!" Edmond Gibbes exclaimed. "She has forbidden us ever to speak of such things! And if she finds out that it was not destroyed..."

"Yes! But things are different now!" Thomas Brooke replied. "There's obviously truth to the legends…these visitors are proof of it!"

"Woah, woah, hey!" Jack interjected. "Would someone please explain what you're talking about here?"

Robert Viccars looked around nervously before replying. "Among my family, there's a legend of my ancestors. To preserve the legend, the events were written down. Our people did not want to forget where we came from...or that the one whom we claim to serve is no goddess at all."

"Whom do you claim to serve?" Teal'c asked.

"The Great Queen Morrigan." Edmond Gibbes answered.

At the sound of Morrigan's name, Jack's head snapped towards Daniel. "Don't tell me..."

"Yep. A Goa'uld System Lord."

Robert Viccars looked around cautiously before interrupting their conversation. "This is not the place to be having this discussion. Let's get back to Hereford, and once there we can tell them what we need to."

All in the group nodded and continued making their way towards the village in the distance.

* * *


	4. Part 3

_1590 A.D. _

The heavy armor-clad footsteps announced the entrance of her First Prime. The large Jaffa knelt before his master and bowed his head in submission.

Her eyes glowed a bright gold, accentuating the blackness of her long straight hair. Every move she made spoke of her arrogance and poise. Finally she turned her attention to the slave knelt before her.

"Bar'tok, what have you to report?"

The Jaffa stood, but kept his head lowered in submission. "We have found a small group of humans near a shoreline. We believe you will be satisfied with them, my Queen. They are made up of mostly men, and are a small enough group to transport. They have but few supplies, and are cut off from most other humans on the planet."

"You believe these will be able to withstand the labor of a mining camp?"

"Yes, my Queen."

"We shall soon see."

* * *

As happened so often on missions such as these, Daniel felt as though he had stepped back in time. Walking through the town square, Daniel took note of the 1600s style of dress and buildings. The homes were made of wood or old-style bricks. Women wore simple floor-length dresses; men wore plain button-up shirts and black or brown pants. 

Night had fallen as they came to a stop in front of one of the brick homes in the village. Robert Viccars opened the front door and turned to SG-1. "This is my home. I know it's not much, but..."

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be fine." Daniel said, speaking in behalf of his teammates.

After bidding Thomas and Edmond goodnight, Robert led SG-1 into his home. Upon entering, they immediately saw a small, fair-skinned, blonde woman sitting in the corner sewing.

"This is my wife, Elyn."

Elyn quickly rose to greet the newcomers.

"Howdy, ma'am." Jack said.

"Elyn, this is Jack O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, Sam Carter, and Teal'c." Robert introduced. "I've offered them a place to stay for the night. They've come from Earth."

Sam watched as the woman paled visibly. "Are you all right?" Sam asked, the concern showing in her voice.

"Earth is real?" Elyn asked in a whisper. After a moment, her attention turned back to her husband. "Then the stories are true."

"What stories?" Daniel asked.

"We'd best save that for later." Robert said. "It has been a tiresome day for us all. And I am due to work in the mine tomorrow."

Daniel wanted to protest, but he could tell by the look on Jack's face that his arguments wouldn't get far. With a sigh, Daniel decided to let his questions wait until morning.

"Have you eaten?" Elyn asked her guests.

"Oh, we're fine, thanks." Jack replied.

"Well, then if you'll wait here, I'll get a room ready for you."

Jack nodded as Elyn walked out towards the back of the house.

After making sleeping arrangements for their guests, Elyn and Robert left their guests to themselves in the small spare bedroom of their home.

Jack had just taken off his pack when he noticed what Sam was doing. She had pulled out the soil sample that she collected earlier…along with a kit of testing chemicals.

"Carter, don't you ever quit?" Jack asked, trying to sound annoyed at her.

"No, sir." Sam said with a smile. "Robert mentioned he had to mine, and it reminded me of the sample I'd taken."

The others watched as Sam carefully squeezed a measured amount of chemical from a dropper into a test tube of soil. Immediately the chemicals reacted to the sample, changing the liquid around it from light blue to dark green.

Sam's raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Holy Hannah!" Amazed, she turned to look at her CO. "Sir, do you know what this means?"

"Of course I do." Jack said with a sly look, "But maybe you should explain it to Daniel."

Sam smiled and shook her head. "Sir, I only put a very small amount of soil in this sample, yet it showed a massive reaction to the testing chemical."

Jack merely blinked in reply.

"So, the sample contains naquadah." Daniel clarified.

"Not only that. I'd have to run some more tests on it, but it appears this variation of naquadah is much more powerful than any other samples we've encountered before."

"More so than the substance naquadria found on Jonas Quinn's planet?" Teal'c asked.

Wide-eyed, Sam turned to the Jaffa. "It very well may be."

_

* * *

1590 A.D._

Elizabeth felt a soothing calm wash over her as she watched the waves crashed into shore. This was her favorite part of the day. She had lost track long ago of how many times she had walked up and down this sandy beach. But it never failed to lift her spirits. Here she could just be alone and think.

Things were definitely looking up for the colony. Despite the drought, they'd managed to come to an amicable trade agreement with the Indians. So, at least they didn't have to worry about starvation. Winter was months away, and as long as the ships returned before then, they would be fine.

Elizabeth came to a stop at her normal spot on the beach and sat down. Shielding her eyes from the descending sun, she scanned the horizon to the left, and then slowly panned to the right. An involuntary sigh escaped her lips; there was still nothing to be seen but ocean.

She lay back, propping herself up on her elbows. She closed her eyes, inhaled the salty sea air, and listened to the sound of the crashing ocean waves.

She'd only been lying there for a few minutes when she heard a distant rumble.

'Thunder?' she wondered, her eyes flying open. They had been praying for rain to come for weeks now.

But this sound was not like that of normal thunder. The sound was continuous, and it was getting louder, closer.

Elizabeth jumped to her feet and quickly scanned the horizon once again. At first, she saw nothing out of the ordinary, but she soon spotted it.

'A ship!' her mind yelled, but she soon realized that she was wrong.

She couldn't help but stare in awe…this was nothing like anything she had ever seen before! It appeared to be a large triangular object, and it was moving across the water much too quickly to be a ship. Fear settled in the pit of her stomach. Elizabeth may not have understood exactly what was going on, but something was telling her that what was coming was not good.

Snapping back to reality, Elizabeth took off running down the beach. Whatever it was, she had to warn the others.

* * *

Daniel tried sleeping, but although he was tired, sleep still evaded him. As the early morning light began to filter in, Daniel finally decided that getting up might help clear his head. Careful not to wake the others, he crept out of the small bedroom and walked towards the sitting room. Once there, Daniel was surprised to find that Elyn Viccars was already awake.

"Are you not well?" she asked, getting up from her chair.

"I'm fine." Daniel lied.

"If you were, would you not be sleeping?"

"Well, you're up." Daniel said, trying to divert attention from himself.

"Yes. I always am at this hour. The quiet helps me to think, to sort things out." Daniel nodded and so she continued. "Perhaps that is why you too are awake..."

Daniel sighed and was silent for a long moment before he replied. "Have you ever said something out of anger that you didn't really mean?"

Elyn laughed lightly. "Many times. My family tends to have a quick temper...so, that is why you are unable to sleep."

"Yeah." Daniel confirmed.

Elyn nodded knowingly. "She will forgive you."

"Who will?" Daniel asked suspiciously.

"Your mate."

Daniel marveled at the perception this woman had. "How did you..."

Elyn merely smiled.

"Right." Daniel sighed. "The worst part is, it was my fault. I forgot a very important occasion for us and she was angry with me. And instead of apologizing I…" Daniel sighed again. "I didn't even get to talk to her before I left."

Elyn placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You have a kind heart, Daniel. I'm sure when you return home you will make things right."

"Thank you, Elyn."

She smiled and turned to go. "And now, I have chores to do. You try to get some sleep."

* * *

A few hours later, the others were up and dressed. Elyn had prepared breakfast for her husband and guests six of them sat around the breakfast table.

"How long will you be gone?" Jack asked Robert.

"I will return after midday."

"Mind if we tag along with you, Robert?" Sam asked. "I'd love to get some more samples of the ore your people are mining."

"I'm sorry, Morrigan forbids it. Besides, it is unsafe."

"If I may, Robert," Daniel began. "How long has it been since Morrigan came here?"

Robert leaned back in his chair and rubbed his reddish-brown hair in thought. "Many years. Never in my lifetime, nor my father's. Yet, she commanded that we mine the ore and send it to her through the Great Passageway."

"You said today was your turn to work there. How many of your people work in the mines?" Sam asked.

"Fifteen men work in there on any given day."

"Only fifteen?" Daniel asked in surprise.

"Yes, the ore we mine is very volatile. Mining it is quite a risk. That risk increases with the number of people working inside the mine. And then…there are the tremors…

"Tremors?" Sam repeated.

"Yes, every so often the ground below us begins to shake. Over the years, it has caused many cave-ins to occur. So we feel it best for only a few to work at a time. The schedule for doing so rotates daily."

"You know, she probably wouldn't even notice if you stopped sending her the stuff." Jack said.

"Why do you think that?"

"We have seen it before on other worlds." Teal'c explained. "Often the Goa'uld abandon a planet when it no longer serves their purposes."

"Goa'uld?" Elyn asked.

"The false gods we spoke of previously."

"They are a race of parasitical beings." Daniel spoke up. "They use people as hosts, and they often force other humans to worship them by posing as gods."

"So...Morrigan is a..."

"Gould." Jack supplied.

"When are you supposed to send the next shipment of ore to Morrigan?" Sam asked.

"Later today," Robert answered. "If what you say is true..."

"Your people would no longer have to risk themselves in the mine." Sam finished.

"I'm still not sure that..." Robert's words trailed off as the room around them began to shake. An echo rumbled loudly outside as the planet's tectonic plates groaned in protest. Dust from the beams above began to fall upon them as the seismic disturbance continued to rattle the small village. After a few long seconds it was over, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The earthquake seemed to have made up Robert's mind. "I'll call a meeting of the elders."

* * *


	5. Part 4

_1590 A.D._

_Ambrose carefully set a large piece of wood on a tree stump, and stood back to take a swing with his ax. Just as he was about to lift the ax above his head, he heard a voice shouting from the distance._

_Startled, Ambrose turned to see his daughter running as hard as she could towards him, her dress flapping against the wind. Elizabeth was out of breath when she finally reached her father's side. _

_"Good heavens child! What's wrong?"_

_"Father, it comes!"_

_"The ship?"_

_"No! I don't know what it is. But it's headed this way! We must warn the others."_

_In an instant, Ambrose dropped his ax and headed inside the house to get his musket. His daughter didn't scare easily, so whatever she was talking about was bound to be bad. _

_Ambrose had just stepped back outside when heard a thunderous roar from the east that seemed to get louder and louder. This was soon accompanied by the trembling of the earth beneath him. _

_'What on earth is going on?' Ambrose wondered fleetingly as he and several other men from the colony made their way to the gates of the wooden barrier that surrounded the Roanoke colony. Looking out, they could see a dark triangular shape moving towards them at an incredible speed. _

_Ambrose took a shaky breath as he looked around at the colony. In light of what was happening, he knew the wall would never be enough to defend them from whatever it was that was coming._

* * *

With a large rush of water-like energy, the Stargate activated. Thomas Brooke and Robert Viccars stood by to see SG-1 off.

"Thanks for the ore, fellas." Jack said. "We'll be back in a little while to make sure Morrigan doesn't come back for it."

"And to talk some more about your ancestors." Daniel added.

With that, the four of them stepped through the sparkling blue puddle and reemerged back on earth.

Daniel was looking forward to his post-mission exam, hoping he would get a chance to talk to Janet. He hated that things weren't right between them, and he planned to fix that as soon as possible.

But unfortunately, when he got to the infirmary, he found that she'd already left the mountain for the night. Figures. Daniel sighed, and resisted the urge to call her at home. He really needed to apologize face to face. She deserved no less for his behavior. He looked at the clock on the infirmary wall, if he left as soon as his examination was over…

Jack was sitting on the bed right in front of Daniel. Glancing backwards he caught the far-away look in his friend's eye. "Sorry, Daniel, I know you wanna go see Doc, but it'll have to wait. If this stuff is half as good as Carter thinks it is, Hammond wants us to go back to that planet ASAP."

"I can be back in time…"

"Daniel…" Jack said, using the warning tone he'd patented just for Daniel. "You look exhausted. The only place you're going is to your quarters for some shut-eye."

"But Jack…"

"Ah!" Jack said, holding up his hand. "Shut-eye!"

"Fine." Daniel mumbled.

* * *

"So, what'd you find out about the naquadah, Carter?" Jack asked.

Sam looked confused by this and she raised her eyebrows in a silent question.

"The General wants to know…" Jack admitted.

"Ah." Sam said, nodding her head in understanding. "Well, sir, from what I can tell this naquadah contains a special ion in its molecular structure. Basically it has more protons per molecule than normal naquadah."

Jack stared at her blankly.

Sam took a deep breath and continued. "When introduced to energy particles, it has the capability of producing a massive amount of energy because the extra protons cause a greater reaction."

"Carter, how do you know that?"

"Well, sir, it appears the molecular makeup of the ion is very similar to the substance the Tollan used in their ion cannons."

"The big honkin' space guns?"

"Yes, sir." Sam said, trying to hide a smile. "I happened to come across the specs for them the last time we were on Tollana. It's not exactly the same…but it's based on the same principles."

"Uh-huh….so…the stuff's good?"

"Yeah, I'd say so, sir."

"What about the earthquakes?"

"Well, sir, shifts in tectonic plates are normal. It will make mining the ore more of a risk, but precautions can be taken to reduce the risk significantly. My main concern is for the safety of the village."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, sir, living so close to such a volatile form of naquadah…I can't imagine any good coming from it."

"Well, Hammond wants us to go back and negotiate with the locals for the ore. Gear up, and when we get there we can discuss some options with them."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"What the hell?" Jack said aloud, as they watched a departing Al'kesh disappear into the sky.

Carter automatically glanced at her watch. "Their shipment to Morrigan is about 3 hours late."

"Damn, she sics her jaffa after them over 3 lousy hours!" Quickly making a decision, Jack turned to Sam and Daniel. "You go ahead and see what happened. We'll dial home and tell Hammond there's been Gould activity in the area and request backup and a med team. Teal'c and I will wait here and lead them to the village."

"Yes, sir." Sam said as she and Daniel turned and hurried towards the village.

* * *

"You!" A voice shouted. "You have brought this upon us!"

They had barely entered the village when they heard the angry voice. They turned to see Edmond Gibbes pointing at them. He was standing amongst many other male villagers, all of whom had turned to see who it was Edmond was shouting at.

"You promised us she would not return! You promised to protect our people! Look at what you have done!"

Daniel and Sam looked around the village, but nothing looked out of the ordinary. In fact, there weren't any visible signs that anything was wrong. That is…other than the haunted look that was reflecting in the villager's eyes.

"What happened?" Daniel asked, as he and Sam approached the ranting man.

"She returned! And brought the curse upon us!"

"Curse?" Sam asked, looking at Daniel.

Daniel shrugged slightly. "What curse? If something has happened, we may be able to help."

Wordlessly, Edmond pointed to the tree that stood in the middle of the village square. Carved on it was a familiar word, 'Croa'tan'.

"Croa'tan?" Daniel asked. "Croa'tan is a curse?"

Edmond nodded. "And there is only one thing that can save us. We must offer Morrigan a sacrifice so that she will lift the curse of Croa'tan from us."

"Sam! Daniel! You have returned!"

Turning at the sound of a new voice, they saw Thomas Brooke running towards them. "You must do something to help us."

"First tell us what happened."

A crackling of the radio caught Daniel and Sam's attention. "Hey kids," Jack said through the static. "Be advised. We've got SG-3, Doc, and SG-8 on the way."

Daniel felt his stomach flutter nervously. Jack said 'Doc', meaning Janet…and they still hadn't spoken since their fight. Daniel hoped he would get the chance to talk to her while she was here. He desperately needed her to know that she was important to him. Very important. He kicked himself once again for making her doubt that for even a minute.

"Understood, sir." Carter replied into her radio.

"Come," Thomas Brooke said. "We have much to talk about, and the middle of the village is not the place for it." With that, he turned and led Sam and Daniel down a series of narrow streets.

Soon they arrived at his modest wooden home on the far side of the village. Once settled in, Thomas turned to his visitors. "I'm not exactly sure where I should begin."

Daniel took a deep breath and began. "Well, first things first, what can you tell us about this curse?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. There are stories, of course. But much of it is merely legend. Each family has a different rendering of the stories of the ancestors."

"When we first met, Robert Viccars mentioned a journal. What was he talking about?"

Thomas Brooke looked around nervously and took a deep breath, "Morrigan thought that fear of the unknown would cause our people to serve her more fully. She ordered our ancestors never to speak of the specific events leading up to their coming to this place."

"Obviously they defied her order." Sam said.

"Yes. Stories of Earth and a curse circulated throughout the following generations, each somewhat different, and none with much detail. However, one family in particular rebelled against Morrigan's orders, the Viccars."

"Robert's ancestors." Daniel stated.

Thomas shook his head. "No, Elyn's. Robert has a brother to continue his family name, but Elyn did not. Robert took her surname to preserve it."

"I see. So Elyn's ancestors wrote down the stories that they were told?"

"Not exactly." Thomas replied. "You see, the journal is a first-hand account of what happened, and how our people came to be here. But, when Morrigan found out, she was furious and she unleashed the curse among the ancestors. She swore that only a substantial sacrifice would cause her anger to turn back."

"What happened?"

"A sacrifice was made." Thomas said sadly. "A beam of light carried away one of Elyn's ancestors. No one knows what became of her." Thomas shook his head, and continued the story. "After her sacrifice, the ancestors burned the journal before Morrigan's eyes. Then she lifted the curse from them."

"So…if the journal was destroyed, how do you have it?" Daniel asked.

"Apparently Elyn's ancestor had kept two journals." Thomas smiled. "Which merely goes to show you the stubbornness of that family. One of the journals was found by Morrigan and destroyed, but the other one was hidden away. Only a few of us even know it exists."

"Who exactly knows about it?" Sam asked.

"Not many, the three of us that you met in the forest, Robert, Edmond, and myself…and Elyn of course. And now the two of you. Not even the elders are aware of its existence. But while we know of it, none of us have ever read in it. We were afraid that Morrigan would somehow find out." Thomas shook his head in frustration. "But all this history does not matter. Morrigan has returned and released the curse!"

"Yes, what happened?"

"A craft, the likes of which I had never seen before, came from the sky. A loud booming voice could be heard for miles around. It was Morrigan. She said that for our defiance we would be punished. A beam of light came from the craft, and she and two others suddenly appeared before us. She held out a hand and carved the curse into the tree. Then she used a device on her hand against us, and then she was gone."

"Sounds like a ribbon device." Sam said to Daniel. He nodded. "Who did she hurt?"

"Elyn Viccars…poor child isn't doing well at all."

"Oh God." Daniel said, jumping up. With one look at Sam, they both headed towards the door. "Thanks for you help, Thomas." Daniel said as they left his home.

"Jack!" Daniel called over the radio. "We just found out that Morrigan used a ribbon device on Elyn Viccars. We're going to check on her now, but get Janet and the med team to her house as soon as you can."

"Copy that." They heard Jack reply as they took off down the street towards Robert and Elyn's house.

* * *


	6. Part 5

"Thomas told us what happened." Sam said quietly to Robert, as she and Daniel looked down upon the ill woman who was lying in bed.

The man merely looked at the floor. "At least she's sleeping for the moment." He said, looking towards the bedroom. "I don't know what Morrigan did to her."

"Well, from our past experience with those devices, Morrigan caused Elyn to feel much pain." Daniel explained. "I've been on the receiving end of one of those things before, and while they aren't much fun…she should be okay after she gets some rest."

Robert nodded in understanding, but Daniel's words didn't seem to give him much comfort.

Daniel shook his head sadly, "We're so sorry, Robert."

"You had no way of knowing. No one did." Robert sighed, and then led his two visitors out of Elyn's room and into the kitchen. Once they were settled, Daniel began to speak.

"Thomas said this has happened to your ancestors before. He also told us about the journal they kept. Have you ever read in it?"

The man looked up at Daniel, his eye widened in fear. "No, we were afraid to. We didn't want Morrigan to know we still had it."

"But you still kept it all this time?" Sam asked.

"I know, it sounds ridiculous. But it's a piece of our history…Elyn's history, my history. We couldn't just get rid of something our ancestors obviously felt was so important."

"Where is the journal now?"

Robert looked around uncertainly.

"Listen, Robert, Morrigan has come." Daniel said. "She's obviously threatening your people. We need as much information as possible so we know what we're up against."

With a sigh, Robert rose from his place at the table and walked into the sitting room. He moved Elyn's rocking chair aside, pulled back a cloth rug, and revealed a small metal loop embedded in the wood. He slipped a finger into the loop and pulled two floorboards loose. After a moment of hesitation, he reached his hand into the opening he'd made, a cloth bundle. Robert replaced the flooring and the chair before unwrapping the bundle and producing a small red book. The binding had obviously seen better days, and the yellow, tattered pages betrayed the book's age. The fact that the book had survived so long in tact was nothing short of a miracle. Still, the journal seemed to be in good condition for as old as it obviously was.

'_The moisture and temperature of the compartment must have been just right to have kept a book this old in such good shape.'_ Daniel mused to himself idly.

"Here it is." Robert said, carefully handing the book to Daniel.

Daniel turned the book over in his hands, marveling at the history he held in his hands. This book was the key, he could feel it. Everything historians and archaeologists alike had ever wondered about the disappearance of Roanoke was contained in within his grasp. The very thought excited the scholar within him.

Daniel inhaled deeply, reveling in the unique musty scent books gained with age. He was about to open the treasure, when a loud moan from the other room interrupted him.

In an instant, Robert was on his feet and running into Elyn's room. Sam got up as well, but teetered a bit as she did so.

"Are you okay?" Daniel asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I just have a slight headache. No big deal." Sam shook her head a bit, as if to clear it. "I'll go check on Elyn. You stay here and read. We have no idea when Morrigan will return…and the sooner we know what this 'Croa'tan' curse thing is, and how Morrigan will spread it, the better.

Daniel nodded in agreement and turned back to the book, opened it to the first entry, and began reading.

* * *

Some time later, Sam and Robert returned from Elyn's room. Looking over the pages of the journal, Daniel excitedly began speaking of what he had learned from the book.

"You won't believe this, Sam, it's amazing! It's a first-hand account of a Roanoke woman named Elizabeth Viccars. It starts in England just before they left for America. They were waiting for…" Daniel broke himself off in mid-sentence when he looked up and realized just how pale Sam was looking. "Uh, Sam, are you all right?"

"Yeah…what else did you find?"

Daniel gave her a quizzical look, but continued. "They were suffering from a drought and were waiting for their Governor to return with supplies from England. Of course, historically, he was delayed because of war with Spain…but that's really neither here nor there…Anyways, by the time he got back to Roanoke the colony was gone."

"Well? What exactly happened?"

"I haven't gotten that far yet, but, I did see something else here that was interesting. Apparently, Elizabeth's father gave her an heirloom. He told Elizabeth it was…" Daniel paused as he turned back several pages of the journal. "Ah! Here it is: 'An Irish heirloom. It goes back many, many generations. The legend of the ring says it was given to one of your mother's ancestors by a man who was from beyond the stars themselves. The ring was given as a gift to protect the family.'"

Daniel paused to let his words sink in before he continued. "By the description she gives, it sounds like an Irish claddagh ring."

"A man from beyond the stars gave a ring to the family for protection?" Sam repeated as she slightly rubbed the back of her neck.

"Are you sure you're okay, Sam?" Daniel asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"I'm fine. I just must've slept wrong or something. So, what about this disease?"

"I'm getting to that part now…" Daniel said, once again burying his head into the historical document.

* * *

_1590 A.D._

_Upon seeing the coming triangle close-up, Elizabeth realized that what she was seeing was a pyramid, much like the ones in Egypt that she'd heard about. But she had never heard about any pyramids that could fly as quickly and easily as a bird. Elizabeth stared in amazement and fear as the large structure hovered above them, encompassing the entire area around the colony…and much, much more._

_She felt the urge to run, but where was there to go? In mere minutes the pyramid had flown to the colony from beyond the horizon. There was nowhere **to** run. _

_At that moment a booming voice from above her head spoke. "I am your Queen and Master, Morrigan. Bow down to me and begin the service to your Goddess. Any who oppose me shall suffer the fate of Croa'tan!"_

_The resonance of the voice chilled Elizabeth to the bone. It sounded as if it had come from a demon._

_A bright shaft of light appeared from the ship and stretched out to the ground directly in the center of the colony. Then there was a brighter flash of light within the shaft as various large metal rings appeared, then disappeared. And suddenly the light shaft was gone. _

_Standing in its wake, were three people. Two were dressed alike in metallic armor. They bore a strange symbol upon their foreheads, and were each caring large, pole-like weapons. They were stationed on either side of the third figure, a beautiful, extravagantly dressed woman with long black hair. _

_Calmly the woman walked around, surveying the colony and those whom she saw within it. Finally she spoke, "I am Morrigan. Who of you are prepared to serve me?"_

_Elizabeth held her breath and watched as no one stepped forward._

_"I am your Goddess! I have given you life, and can just as easy take it from you!" Morrigan continued to pace about the colony. She smiled wickedly, "Perhaps Croa'tan will help instill faith in the power of your Goddess." _

_With those words, Morrigan raised her left arm, revealing a gold armband that wrapped around her hand and each of her fingers. Elizabeth watched in horror as Morrigan's eyes began to glow and an amber light shone in her palm. Without warning, a bright light from her hand burst forward in a wave, striking Audrey Tappan, one of the other female colonists. The woman was violently thrown backwards and was now lying unconscious on the ground. _

_Elizabeth started to run to help her friend, but was stopped by a glare from Morrigan. _

_"I wouldn't go too near her. The disease I've given her would be quite easy for you, or any of the other females here, to catch."_

_Looking around once again, Morrigan caught site of the tree trunk outside the Viccar home. With another burst of light from her palm, Elizabeth watched as the word 'CROATAN' was instantly carved into the tree. _

_"This mark will serve as a reminder to you …as one by one, your wives, mothers, and daughters fall ill. You may all bow before me, and I will spare them. Or they will suffer the fate of Croa'tan."_

_

* * *

_

"Oh God!" Daniel whispered as the journal slipped from his hands and landed on the table with a thud. His head sunk into his hands as he thought of the enormity and the implications of the passage he had just read.

Realization flashed in his eyes as he jerked his head up to look at Sam, only to find that she was slowly slumping forward in her chair.

"Sam!" Daniel yelped as he quickly caught her just before she collapsed completely. He looked up at Robert, who motioned towards the back of his small home.

With a nod, Daniel hoisted Sam up into his arms, carried her to the guest bedroom, and gently laid her on one of the two beds in the room.

Leaning over his sick friend, Daniel checked for a pulse, and luckily there was one. But he didn't miss the burning heat emanating from her body. She was obviously running a dangerously high fever. She needed a doctor, and soon…

Daniel's thoughts came to sudden halt. He had been so preoccupied with Sam's condition; he hadn't thought the entire situation through. If the Croa'tan really only effected females, then that meant…

"Oh God, no!" Daniel jumped up, and bolted towards the exit, clicking his radio as he tried to warn the others of what had happened.

But, he was too late.

Daniel hadn't even reached the sitting room when Robert's front door was thrust open. In walked SG-3, Jack, SG-8, and Teal'c…carrying an unconscious Janet.

Just the sight of her limp body was all it took for Daniel's knees to buckle beneath him.

Fortunately, Jack was there to steady his friend. "Easy Danny." Jack said softly.

Quickly recovering, Daniel silently led Teal'c to the back bedroom that Sam occupied. Once there, Teal'c laid Janet down on the empty spare bed.

Jack's eyes widened when he saw his second in command lying unconscious in the room's other cot. "Carter, too?" He turned to Daniel. "What the hell is going on?"

But Daniel wasn't listening. He was knelt down beside Janet and was softly stroking the back of her hand. "I'm here, Janet." Jack could hear him whisper. "Don't you worry, we're going to find a way to make you better."

"Daniel." Jack said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Daniel slowly turned, and looked up into Jack's eyes. "Morrigan. She gave the colonists a disease that affects only women." Daniel's eyes drifted back down to the floor. "We knew Croa'tan was a disease, but we didn't think she had spread it yet…and now…" Daniel shook his head sadly.

"Come on, let's let them rest a bit. Then you can bring us up to speed on what's been happening around here. Meanwhile, the medical team can do what they can for Sam and Janet."

"And Elyn. She's sick, too."

"Okay. Elyn, too."

Daniel turned back to Janet and softly kissed her forehead. "I'll be right back, sweetheart." With that, Jack and Daniel walked out of the room, leaving the members of SG-8 to check on Sam and Janet's condition.

Once they had all gathered around the table in the kitchen, Daniel managed to compose himself and began to speak. "Ah, ok, long story short. Robert gave me the journal of his ancestors to read. It's a first-hand account of Morrigan's coming to earth. To coerce the colonist to serve her, Morrigan released a plague called Croa'tan that affected only the women of the colony. She did this by using a ribbon device to implant the disease into one of the colonist. The disease then spread amongst the rest of the women. Now, when we first got here, we heard that Morrigan had used a ribbon device on Elyn Viccars. But what we didn't know was that by doing so, Morrigan was giving her this disease."

"So…now what?" Jack asked.

"Actually, I'm not sure, I hadn't gotten quite that far in the journal when Sam passed out. But, since Morrigan seems to have done exactly the same thing here, we should know more about what to expect when I finish reading the journal."

"Okay, well, Daniel, you get back to doing that. Teal'c, take SG-3 and two members of SG-8 and go around the village to see how many others have been affected by this…crouton thing. I'm gonna check to see how our girls are doing."

* * *


	7. Part 6

_1590 A.D._

_The colonists soon learned that Morrigan was not one to make empty threats. After she had returned to the hovering pyramid, they had done everything they could to protect the rest of the women. Audrey Tappan was quarantined from the other female colonists immediately, but it did little good. Soon, one by one, the disease was passed on until each of the 17 women of the Roanoke colony was ill._

_The colony was in a panic. They'd come to the New World in hopes of starting over, building families, and teaching future generations how to fend for themselves. Now everything seemed to be crashing down around them. Despite the fact that, overall, relatively few were infected with Croa'tan, the survival of the colony depended greatly on the very ones who were ill._

_In all his years, Ambrose had never seen such an illness. It started out innocently enough, manifesting itself in headache and muscle pain. From there it got much worse. Cold sweats, burning fever, hallucinations, boils, and lesions followed a mere three days after the first symptoms began. And who knew how much worse it could get?_

_Watching his daughter succumb to such a disease was one of the most horrible experiences of Ambrose's life. She had so much to give, and he just could not bear to stand by and watch her die. Not like this. Not after swearing to his wife on her death bed that he would protect their children._

_Ambrose gazed over at his sleeping daughter. Her breathing was ragged and shallow, and soon it would be too late to help her. Considering what was at stake, he knew there was only one thing they could do._

_Quietly, so as not to disturb Elizabeth, Ambrose slipped out of his house. Once outside, he couldn't help but look at marking on the tree trunk that Morrigan had left behind. It was a reminder indeed. A reminder that they would all either be forced to serve Morrigan, or they would all die by her hand._

_Ambrose continued on his way until he reached the home of Roger Baily. When Governor White had set sail for England close to three years ago, he had left Baily in charge of things until he returned. A colony meeting had been called to discuss what they needed to do about the situation._

_Upon arriving at the Baily home, Ambrose was ushered in to a large sitting room where he found a large crowd of colonists assembled._

_"What needs to be done?" Roger Baily was saying as Ambrose entered the room._

_Everyone began talking at once, until finally Baily held up his hands to silence them. "One at time, we're not getting anywhere this way."_

_Michael Bishop spoke up first. "Obvious Morrigan has great power. How else could she have sent a disease only to women…one that she herself does not get?"_

_"But she claims to be a Goddess! Is that not sacrilegious?" Said Brian Wyles._

_"Can you prove she is lying?" Bishop countered._

_"Please, let me speak." Ambrose implored the crowd._

_"Go ahead, Ambrose." Roger Baily said, putting an end to the bickering._

_"Brothers, with each passing moment our wives, mothers, daughters…they are being taken from us. If we do not do something soon, they will all die. After that happens, who's to say Morrigan won't come after us next? Or perhaps watch us die out one at a time, until the colony is deserted?"_

_Ambrose sighed as unshed tears pricked his eyes. He took a deep breath, and continued to speak. "For three days I have watched my daughter's health go from bad to worse. If we do not take action, she will die. As will the other women. As will we. But Morrigan has given us a way to stop that from happening. I, for one, am willing to give up my freedom, if it will save them. It is the only way they will survive. It is the only way we will survive."_

_The room grew silent, as the men listened to Ambrose's plea and pondered over the things he had said._

_Finally, Arnold Archard broke the silence. "My wife, Joyce, fell ill two days ago. In her delusions…she thought I was trying to kill her…she doesn't even recognize our own son!" Arnold raised his eyes from the floor, and looked around the room. "Ambrose is correct. We must give ourselves over to Morrigan. I'd rather be a slave with my wife by my side, than a free man who allowed her to die."_

_Slowly, the others began to nod in their agreement._

* * *

_"My Queen, the leader of the settlement has requested an audience with you."_

_A smirk played across Morrigan's features. It had taken them a bit longer to respond than she would have guessed, but the results were the same. They always were._

_"Bring him before me."_

_"Yes, my Queen."_

_Ambrose waited with bated breath for Roger Baily to return from the pyramid. Moments ago he had been taken to see her by two of her armored men. As Ambrose looked around at the others who had assembled, he fleetingly wondered what their assignment under Morrigan's rule would be. Pushing that thought from his mind, he hoped it wouldn't take long for her to hear of their surrender and go about curing the illness she had created._

* * *

Daniel was lost in his reading when Jack and Robert returned to the kitchen table. When Jack sat down, Daniel looked up, "How are they?" He asked, anxiously. 

"Well, the med team is trying to keep their temperatures down, but there's really not much more they can do without knowing what it is that's making them sick. I'm gonna have SG-3 contact Hammond and see if we can't get Dr. Carmichael to set up shop here. Hopefully he'll be able to figure this thing out."

Daniel sighed, his eyes dropping back down to the writing before him. "I've still got a little ways left to go in this. I'm hoping something Elizabeth Viccars wrote down will help us figure out what to do for them."

* * *

_1590 A.D._

_Elizabeth woke with a start, shook awake by the terrible nightmares she had been having. Her head was pounding, and she found herself gasping for air. She looked down with tired eyes and caught a glimpse of the ring her father had given her. 'The ring was given as a gift to protect the family.' He had told her. _

_It had failed. Part of her wanted to rip the ring from her finger and throw it as far as she could, but she lacked the strength to do so. _

_Tears stung in her eyes as the rest of her body reeled in pain cause by the terrible disease. And for the first time ever, Elizabeth wished only for death._

**OoOoOo**

_At last a beam of light appeared from the pyramid, suddenly standing before the assembled colony were two soldiers, Roger Baily, and Morrigan. Anger and hatred flashed in Ambrose's mind at the sight of the one who had put them in this position. Without her, Elizabeth would be happy and healthy, instead of dying helplessly in her bed._

_Morrigan walked calmly towards the assembled men, and began to speak._

**OoOoOo**

_'Humming?' Elizabeth turned her head towards the familiar gentle tune she was hearing. _

_"Mother?" Elizabeth gasped, clearing seeing Emme Viccars standing in her doorway._

_"Rest, my child." Emme said, crossing the room and softly sitting on the corner of Elizabeth's bed. "You need rest if you are to get better."_

_Elizabeth's mind spun; everything was so confusing. Elizabeth remembered that her mother had died…but yet here she was, looking just the same as she always had. _

_"I see you're wearing my old ring."_

_Elizabeth nodded. "Father gave it to me…at least, I think he did..." _

_'What's going on? Why is it so hard to remember what had happened?' Her mind struggled to make sense of what she was seeing…on one hand she knew with certainty that her mother had died long ago. So how could she be sitting here, talking as if her death had never occurred?_

_"The ring will protect you from harm." Emme said, softly. "It's trying to protect you even now."_

_Elizabeth's eyebrows sank in confusion. "I don't understand."_

_"You have to let it help you, dear."_

_"What are you talking about?" _

_"Do you remember what the ring stands for?"_

_Elizabeth was feeling more than a little light-headed. She concentrated hard, trying to push past the haze that had enveloped her mind. Slowly, the memory began to surface. "I think so."_

_"Tell me." Emme said, _

_Gazing once again at the ring that encompassed her finger, she was reminded of the hope that the ring symbolized. _

_"Let Love and Friendship Reign Forever," Elizabeth said aloud._

**OoOoOo**

_"I have been informed that you have chosen to serve your Goddess," she said as she paced before the colonists. "A wise decision."_

_Pausing before Ambrose, Morrigan sneered. "Is it true that you vow to serve me?"_

_He drew a breath before answering. "It is. As long as you are able to remove the sickness from among us."_

_"You question my power?"_

_"Proof should be given, so that our faith in you is not in vain."_

_Morrigan turned away from Ambrose and raised her voice to address the others. "Do you all feel as he does?"_

_"It would be a great display of your power, my Queen." Morrigan's First Prime offered. _

_"Jaffa! Kree!" Morrigan spoke sharply, holding out her hand and gesturing for the warrior to give her something._

_He immediately handed her a device that she slipped onto her right hand. It looked like it was made out of some kind of metal. The center of the device was orange in color, and it fit perfectly into her palm. _

_Ambrose couldn't imagine what the device was for, but he would soon find out. _

_"Bring one of the women before me."_

**OoOoOo**

_Elizabeth had barely finished muttering the sentiment that was inscribed in the ring, when she felt an incredible warmth flow through her body. _

_Emme stood up and kissed her daughter's head. "Be brave, my dear. And remember that I love you."_

_With that, Elizabeth watched as her mother's figure was swept away from before her eyes, as if her body had been made of mere smoke. Feeling the telltale sting of teardrops, she closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, she caught the glimpse of a soft glow. Startled, she looked down and saw that her whole body shone with brilliant light. _

_She was on the verge of a panic attack, when suddenly the glow of her skin subsided, and once again she looked as she always had._

_There was one difference._

_The malady that had affected her body was completely gone. Confused, Elizabeth sat up in her bed and began to examine herself. _

_First, she noted the splitting headache, that she had feared would drive her mad, was complete gone. As were her fever and chills. As was the vision of her mother._

_Extracting herself from the blankets that were covering her, she pulled the skirt of her dress up above her knees and inspected the skin on her legs. The boils and lesions that had once marred her skin were gone. In fact, not so much as a scar from them remained. _

_What was going on?_

**OoOoOo**

_Ambrose watched as Margaret Lawrence was carefully brought before Morrigan. Though she was not the first to contract the disease, she was easily the worst off. Gently, Margaret was placed on the ground before the self-professed Goddess. Morrigan's expression was quite disturbing to the colonist. She was smiling – as though she enjoyed looking upon the suffering she had caused._

_Morrigan took a step forward and reached her right arm over the woman lying before her. As her eyes flashed a golden light, the metal device she had just put on began to glow. Before the frightened colonist could protest, the orange light of the device struck Margaret's body._

_Margaret turned over in pain as the light played across her body. She moaned pitiably and then was silent. _

_"What have you done to her?" Roger Baily challenged, clearly upset by this turn of events._

_Morrigan seemed to barely acknowledge his words before she suddenly she turned towards him, capturing his head in a light coming from the armband device that was wound around her left arm and hand._

_The light was obviously causing the man great pain. He struggled against her, but refused to let him go. "Do you continue to defy your Goddess?" _

_Baily was struggling against her hold and the obvious pain she was inflicting. After a few long seconds, Morrigan tossed him aside. He was still alive. Barely._

_As soon as Morrigan had turned away from the crumpled man, a few colonists rushed to his side to help him. Others ran to Margaret's side._

_"He will be fine. As will the woman." Morrigan declared._

_"What of the others?" Ambrose asked._

_But she felt no need to explain any further. Turning from the crowd of settlers, she gestured to her soldiers and pushed a button that was centered on her golden armband. Immediately the shaft of light reappeared, and in as instant, they were gone._

_Seeing that Margaret Lawrence and Roger Baily would be all right, Ambrose felt he should go check on Elizabeth. Perhaps Morrigan was spreading the cure in the same way she spread the disease – through one woman. _

_He had no more opened the door of his home when he heard Elizabeth's voice calling to him. He hurried to her small room, and was shocked to see her standing beside the window._

_"Elizabeth! What are you doing? You should be resting."_

_"Father, I've been cured."_

_"Cured? _

_"Yes. Mother came to me, she helped me. She said…"_

_Ambrose looked hurt by the mention of his wife; he quickly cut Elizabeth off mid-sentence. "No, my dear. It was the sickness causing you to see things that were not there. It was Morrigan who cured you."_

_"Morrigan?" Elizabeth repeated, her voice full of doubt. "Why would she have done that?"_

_Ambrose's eye shifted to the floor. "Today we surrendered to her wishes." _

_"What?" She gasped._

_"We had no choice, my dear. It was the right decision." Ambrose paused. "A few minutes ago Morrigan asked that one of the afflicted women be brought before her. Margaret Lawrence was near death, so she was chosen. Morrigan used some kind of device on her. It must've cured her."_

_"Did anything…strange happen to Margaret while she was being cured?" Elizabeth asked._

_"No. She moaned a little, and turned over. At first we thought Morrigan had killed her. Why?"_

_Elizabeth just shook her head and looked down at the ring on her left hand. Elizabeth was still confused about the glow of her body, and the vision of her mother that she had seen. Her mother had said that the ring was trying to protect her. _

_Was it really all just in her mind?_

_Elizabeth frowned, lost in thought. She still wasn't exactly sure what had happened to her…but she knew in her heart that it had not been Morrigan who had cured her._

* * *

Daniel lowered the book as he processed this new information. Glancing over at Jack, Daniel saw him rubbing at a spot on the table in boredom. In all the years Daniel had known him, he'd never seen Jack O'Neill sit still for very long.

Noticing he was being watched, Jack looked up from the table. "So, did the butler do it?"

"I haven't finished yet, but this is fascinating. About three days after Morrigan released the disease, she returned. The colonist agreed to serve her, and she cured them with what sounds like a Gould healing device."

"And…"

"Well, in the journal, Elizabeth wrote that she was cured before Morrigan gave the cure to the others. She thinks the claddagh ring cured her. Something about quoting the ring's inscription while wearing it..."

"Her ring?" O'Neill said, arching his eyebrow in doubt.

"Well, in an earlier entry, her father told her the ring was an Irish heirloom given to the family by a man who was from 'beyond the stars'. Apparently the ring was to supposed to protect them."

"Good luck charm?"

"Maybe…or it could've been a personal shield of some kind…or maybe something even more advanced."

"Like…"

"Like…I don't know. She claimed it healed her of Morrigan's sickness. That sounds like more than just a simple shield."

"So, what happened to the Lady of the Ring?"

Daniel gave Jack a small frown in reply, checked his watch, and sighed. "When's Carmichael supposed to be here again?"

"Hammond said he'd be coming through within the hour. Don't worry, SG-3'll have him back here soon."

"How many were affected by the disease?"

Jack shrugged. "Teal'c's still out in the village doing a head count…the last I checked it was about 35 women and girls."

Daniel nodded, sucked in a deep breath, and went back to his reading.

**

* * *

**


	8. Part 7

_1590 A.D._

****

_Ambrose, Elizabeth, Abe, and the rest of the colonist had been instructed to pack up their possessions. As her new servants, Morrigan was taking them away to serve her on another world. With all of her things in order, Elizabeth snuck away from the colony for one last visit to her beach. _

_Elizabeth sighed, feeling more than a little helpless at the situation. Her family had come here wanting a new life and a new beginning…but this wasn't exactly the life they had in mind. And yet, nothing could be done about it. Escape was clearly not an option **–** even if they could get away, they had nowhere to escape to. _

_Intently focusing her thoughts on the sea, she allowed the rhythmic rise and fall of the water to soothe her troubled mind. But all too soon, she could hear her father's voice calling for her. It was time. Time to leave her life and her home behind. Again. _

_Slowly she rose from her place on the sand dune and brushed any remaining particles of sand from her dress. Casting one last look out to the ocean, she froze when a dark shape on the horizon caught her eye. She blinked once, then twice. It was the ship. The ship she had waited so long to see. Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh at the cruel irony. It was strange that she had been looking forward to this day for so long…and yet instead of happiness and hope, this day had brought forth nothing but imprisonment and slavery to a false god. _

_Holding up her long skirt a bit so she could run, Elizabeth hurried back to the colony. She spoke to no one of seeing Governor White's ship in the distance. With any luck at all, they would d be long gone before the ship reached shore, and Morrigan would never even notice them. _

_Then at least those ones would remain free. _

* * *

Teal'c,SG-3, and the two medics exited yet another home in the village of Hereford. Two more females were to be added to the growing list of afflicted. So far, each home they had visited had been affected by the disease. It was not hard to see that such an illness could spell nothing short of disaster for these people.

As they made there way towards the next house, Teal'c's thoughts turned towards his friend Daniel Jackson. He saw how difficult it was for Daniel Jackson to deal with the pain of losing his beloved wife. Later Teal'c himself had come to know such a feeling. The memory of seeing the body of Drey'auc spread before him still rought pain into his heart.

Pain that Daniel Jackson would be forced to endure once again unless something could be done to cure Dr. Fraiser of this disease.

After playing a hand in the fate of Sha're, Teal'c had always felt compelled to try to make it up to Daniel Jackson in any way possible. Pressing ahead, Teal'c vowed to do everything in his power to prevent Daniel Jackson from experiencing that kind of pain ever again.

* * *

The words were starting to blur together. Daniel leaned back his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was starting to hit him. He had put it off as long as possible, but it was sinking in. From what he had read so far, the Croa'tan disease was a terrible one. It inflicted much pain on both the afflicted, and their loved ones who could do nothing but sit by and watch.

Unable to bear sitting at Robert's kitchen table any longer, Daniel picked the book up and walked back to Sam and Janet's room. He quietly pulled a chair up between the two beds in the room and settled in. This way he could keep an eye on both women as they slept through their fever.

Daniel could feel a slight tremor in his hands as he looked over at Janet's small body and thought about the last words he had spoken to her before she got sick. The angry things he said rang in his ears, the very thought making him sick to his stomach.

He never should have put off talking to Janet, and now it was too late to apologize. She had been afflicted with a terrible disease, and the only known cure was literally in the hands of a Goa'uld System Lord. Tears welled up in his eyes at the thought of them failing…of watching helplessly as Janet's life slowly faded away…and of her never knowing just how much she meant to him.

He took a deep breath and attempted to shake the disturbing thoughts away. Guilt and regrets weren't going to do her any good now. Determination filled Daniel's eyes as his gaze shifted from Janet's figure to the journal lying open on his lap.

Failure was not an option.

**

* * *

**

Startled, Daniel jerked his attention from his book when he heard a moan of pain. Rushing over to her side, he grabbed her hand, hoping to give her some comfort.

"Sam?" he asked quietly. "Sam it's okay, you're just a little sick right now."

Sam's forehand wrinkled with pain. "Daniel?" she barely whispered.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"What's…" Sam tried to say, but her voice trailed off. She scrunched her face, as if trying hard to concentrate. "…happen?"

"You and Janet got sick on P3X-290. We're trying to figure out the cure."

Sam seemed to understand, as she closed her eyes and slightly nodded her head.

A noise from the other side of the room grabbed Daniel attention.

"Be right back, okay?" Daniel said, jumping up from Sam's bed, he rushed to Janet's side. She was thrashing around angrily in her bed, trying to untangle herself from the light blanket covering her.

"No! No no no!" she was shouting.

Grabbing her wrists carefully, Daniel tried to calm her down and stop her body from flailing around.

"Janet…shhh, it's ok…Janet." Daniel soothed, hoping his voice would help calm her down. But no such luck. She fought hard; struggling against the hold he had on her.

"Don't touch me!" She cried out. "I hate you!"

Stung by her words, Daniel let go of his grip on her. _'She doesn't know what she's saying…she's just sick…she doesn't know what she's saying…'_ But, no matter how he tried to rationalize it, her words had cut him deeply; compounding the guilt he had already been feeling for letting her down in the first place.

"I'm sorry, Janet." Daniel whispered, his voice catching in his throat. "I'm so sorry."

Daniel could do nothing but watch as Janet continued to thrash about. Every time he went to try to help her, she got worse. By some miracle she didn't fall out of the small bed she was in. And finally, when her energy was spent, she collapsed back into the world of unconsciousness. Hearing the commotion, SG-8 rushed into the room, but Daniel signaled to them that everything was all right.

Exhausted, Daniel glanced over at Sam. She too had drifted back off to sleep.

Daniel bit his bottom lip and took a deep breath. He turned his attention back to the journal lying on the floor. He picked it up and turned it over in his hands. No one should have to endure such a thing as this, least of all Sam and Janet.

The Goa'uld had taken so many loved ones from him over the years. Sha're, Skaara, Kasuf, hell – everyone he'd ever known on Abydos. And he would be damned if they took anyone else away from him.

With renewed resolve, Daniel flipped the journal open.

**

* * *

**

Daniel lowered the journal as he finished reading the last entry that had been penned. He hadn't had much time to digest everything he had read before he heard Robert Viccar's front door being opened.

Getting to his feet, Daniel went to see what was going on. In the small space stood a room full of people – Jack, SG-3, and Dr. Carmichael.

"Where's the med team?" Jack asked.

"Uh, I think they're in Elyn's room."

"Where are Major Carter and Dr. Fraiser?" Andrew Carmichael asked.

"In there." Daniel replied, pointing to the back bedroom door.

"All right. Well, I'll need a place to set up my equipment."

"You're not going to set something up outside?" Daniel asked, his eyebrows rising in curiosity. "This place is pretty small as it is."

"We thought it'd be best not to alert Morrigan of our presence any more than possible." Colonel Reynolds of SG-3 answered.

"Right. Well, you'll have to talk to Robert about that."

"Meanwhile, the rest of us are going over to Thomas Brooke's place to get some rest." Jack said.

"You go on ahead. I'll be fine, J…"

Jack held up his hand to silence Daniel. "Ah! I don't want to hear it. You've been awake for…" Jack glanced at his watch, "…a long time now. You need sleep."

"I can't just leave them like this."

"You can. You will. We are. Let's go."

"But…"

"Listen Daniel, in case you haven't noticed, this house is way too small to hold all of us. Dr. Carmichael and SG-8 need to be here to figure out this disease. That means the rest of us are going. End of story. We'll be back here first thing in the morning, and SG-8 has promised to let us know if anything happens. So, go grab your gear."

Daniel clenched his fists in frustration, but finally he conceded and began to gather his things together in his pack. Once he was finished, he gestured towards the back of the house.

"Give me a second, will you?" Daniel asked.

Jack nodded as Daniel made his way into Sam and Janet's room. The sunlight was fading, but Daniel could still make out Janet's small figure lying in bed. Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, he knelt next to her and took her hand into his own.

"Don't you worry, honey. We're going to find a cure for this. Dr. Carmichael just got here, and we found a journal that I think will give us some answers." Daniel leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. "I have to go now, but just hang in there a little while longer."

With a sigh, Daniel gave her hand one last squeeze, and he headed out of the room. After grabbing his gear from the sitting room, Daniel gave a quick nod to Jack and followed him through the front door.

As they walked down the small road towards the Brooke home, Daniel could only hope that tomorrow would bring about a change for the better.

**

* * *

**


	9. Part 8

_1594 A.D._

****

_Life under Morrigan's rule was not easy for the colonists. But at least it was life. Despite the oppression they faced at the hand of Morrigan, they were given some freedoms. They were allowed to rebuild a settlement, and live a life much like the one they had established back on Roanoke. _

_The differences were quite obvious though. Each day, armed soldiers known as "jaffa" walked thorough the settlement, a constant reminder that Morrigan was always watching. They were also known for random searches of the colonists' home. _

_And while the Croa'tan disease had been cured among the women of the colony, the threat remained. Morrigan had made it clear to them that she could unleash the plague again – or something even worse – if she so chose. _

_And then there were the mines. Morrigan had sent them to extract a particular ore from the planet. The problem was the ore was incredibly dangerous. And more than a few colonists had since died due to mining-related incidents. _

_She often wondered about home. It had been nearly four years since Morrigan had taken them to this place. Governor White had been on his way to Roanoke when they were taken. Did they form another settlement? Did they look for clues about what happened after they found the Roanoke colony abandoned? _

_Elizabeth reflected on these things as she wrote in her journal. One of the few personal items she had that held any value to her. Her father had given it to her as a gift back in England, but she really hadn't written in it much until her family considered going to Roanoke. Even then, she wrote only snippets of rumors and letters about the colony that she heard. But now, she found herself writing much about the things that had happened to her family and the colony. Writing seemed to give solace to her soul; it helped her deal with the new plight they were facing. _

_Morrigan had long since banned anyone from speaking or writing about the events that led them to this place, but what did that matter? Elizabeth may not be allowed to say that she believed Morrigan to be a false god, but she would certainly write about it…if only for her sanity's sake. _

_Well, at least the first journal was for her sanity. The second was kept out of mere defiance. She had managed to get her hands on the second book just before Morrigan outlawed writing. Morrigan wanted the truth to be covered up; she didn't want future generations to know that the one who claimed to be a Goddess had merely forced their ancestors into servitude. Certainly, there was nothing holy about such a creature. _

_Elizabeth was just about to hide the first of her journals when she heard a loud rumbling sound outside her window. Surprise threw her off balance. Dazedly, Elizabeth tried to regain her composure as she pushed herself off of the floor. Panic pushed any remnants of shock away. She quickly shoved the journals beneath her bed and ran out of her room. _

_Abe was standing on the porch, looking wide-eyed at the large dust cloud that had not yet settled. _

_"Was it…" Elizabeth asked, emotion cutting her sentence off. _

_Abe merely nodded in reply. _

_"Stay here!" Elizabeth told her brother as she took off towards the cloud of dust in the distance. _

_Her father was supposed to be working in the mines today. _

_

* * *

_

_Elizabeth ran to the entrance of the mines as fast as she could. Many of the other colonists also hurried to see what had happened. The air was still thick with dust when Elizabeth arrived at the mine. _

_With bated breath, she waited as the air cleared. To her horror, the mouth of the mine had completely caved in. Fighting tears, Elizabeth rushed to where the opening should have been. She quickly dropped to her knees and began hefting rocks out of the way. _

_"Help me!" she cried to those standing by. "My father is in there!" _

_But no one moved. _

_"Quickly! Before they run out of air." _

_With a frustrated grunt, Elizabeth turned her attention back to clearing the rocks away. She was so intent on what she was doing, that she didn't even notice the jaffa that had appeared beside her. Wordlessly, they grabbed her arms and picked Elizabeth off the ground. _

_"No, please, no!" She said, struggling against their grip. But they wouldn't release her. So she stopped fighting, hoping they would relax their grip on her. As soon as they did, she managed to elbow away from them. _

_But she was fighting a losing battle; even as she broke loose from them she could hear the Jaffa arm one of their smaller handheld weapons. _

_Slowly she raised her arms and turned back around to face them. "Please, there could still be survivors. The faster we can get to them, the more servants of Morrigan we can save." _

_The two Jaffa seemed to consider this for a second. Finally one of them stepped forward and aimed his long, pole-like weapon at the cave entrance._

"Stand aside," was all he said to the others lingering nearby. 

_"NO!" Elizabeth shouted realizing what they were about to do. She grabbed hold of the jaffa's arm. "The ore is too dangerous to fire weapons at it!" But the Jaffa merely shook her away and pressed the button that armed the weapon. _

_Hearing Elizabeth's plea to the Jaffa, the other villagers began to run back towards the village. One of them grabbed Elizabeth by the arm and dragged her away to safety. _

_The explosion that followed was greater than any of them could ever have imagined, the magnitude of which threw them to the ground. The heat of the flames seared their clothing; smoke engulfed everything around them. _

_ Long minutes past before the smoke and ash finally began to clear. Horror filled the colonists' eyes, as they saw the after-effect of the blast. _

_There was nothing but fire. And the burnt, charred remains where the mineshaft had once been. _

* * *

Jack sighed quietly as he looked over at Daniel, who was currently trying to pretend that he was asleep.

A small part of him wanted to shout, 'I'm black-ops trained Daniel! You aren't fooling me!'

The bigger part of him was seriously considering shooting him with Teal'c's zat gun, the sleeping pill of the Goa'uld. At least maybe that would knock him out long enough for Jack to finally go to sleep himself.

After Daniel turned over in his cot for the one-hundred-and-eighth time, Jack had had enough. "Daniel!" Jack whispered loudly.

No response.

"I'm black-ops trained Daniel! You aren't fooling me!" Okay, so the small part of him won.

Daniel sighed and propped himself up on his elbows. "What do you want, Jack?"

"Sleep would be nice. But you seemed bound and determined to keep me awake with all your tossing and turning over there."

"Sorry." Daniel mumbled. Though he hardly sounded apologetic.

"Listen, I know you're worried about Janet and Sam. But if you're going to be of any help to them whatsoever, you need to sleep."

"We had a fight." Daniel said out of nowhere.

"You…uh…what?"

"Janet and I had a fight before we left for this mission."

"Well, all couples fight Daniel. And trust me, making up is the best part of fighting."

"No, you don't understand. We never got the chance to make up before…"

"Before Janet got sick?"

"Yeah…she said she didn't think she was important to me."

"Ouch." Jack said. Noting the hurt look in Daniel's eyes, he continued. "Daniel, she was probably just angry at the time. She'd have to be deaf, dumb, and blind not to know how much you care about her." Jack paused for a few seconds before adding. "Now, get some sleep. Doc needs you to be at the top of your game tomorrow."

Daniel nodded and gave his friend an appreciative look. "Thanks, Jack."

**

* * *

**

Dr. Andrew Carmichael was going over the test results for the umpteenth time when Daniel, Jack, Teal'c, and SG-3 returned the next morning.

"What have you got for us?" Jack asked, getting right down to the business at hand.

"Well, Colonel, not a whole lot, I'm afraid."

"How are they?" Daniel asked.

"Both Elyn Viccars and Major Carter appear to be experience very similar symptoms. High fever, fatigue, and muscle pains."

"And Janet?"

"Well, her case is somewhat different. My best guess is that as the disease spreads throughout the body, the symptoms manifest themselves in different stages."

"What has drawn you to this conclusion?" Teal'c spoke up.

"Well, from what I've been told, yesterday Janet's condition was very similar to what the major and Elyn are experiencing now."

"Then what is Janet's condition now?" Daniel asked, feeling a sense of dread creep up into his stomach.

Dr. Carmichael sighed. "Well, she's progressed into having night sweats, tremors, and full-blown hallucinations. In fact, I had to give her a mild sedative to calm her down."

Daniel blinked, as if trying to process the information the doctor had just told him. "H-how much worse is it going to get?"

"I'm sorry, Dr. Jackson. They've contracted an alien disease. One given to them by a Goa'uld, no less. It's just impossible to tell."

"What can you tell us about the disease?" Jack asked. "Why does it only affect women?"

"Well, I've hardly been able to do any sort of thorough testing…but if I had to make an educated guess, I'd say the disease is somehow eradicated by the male Y chromosome…"

Jack narrowed his eyes and turned to Daniel, "The shiny stuff on my truck?"

Daniel looked at Jack in disbelief and gave a small cough.

"What?" Jack asked, innocently.

"Chromosomes are what carry genes in our DNA strands, Colonel." Dr. Carmichael explained.

"Well, of course they are."

"Genetically, women have two X chromosomes, while men have one X and one Y chromosome. It separates men from women on the most basic level. I'm no geneticist, but I'm willing to bet the male Y chromosome has a specific gene that counteracts this particular disease."

"So, since women don't have the chromosome, they get the disease." Daniel concluded.

"Exactly. Again, in theory."

"Okay, bottom line this for me here, Doc." Jack said, clearly getting frustrated. "Can you fix it?"

Dr. Carmichael sighed sadly. "Honestly, Colonel, I can't even be sure if I'm right about the nature of the disease, let alone find a cure for it. Genetics is an infinitely complicated matter, even for a specialist. This? This goes beyond anything we've encountered…"

"So, I take that as a no?"

The doctor just nodded sadly.

"Well, then. We find another way."

* * *


	10. Part 9

_1594 A.D. _

****

_It was pure happenstance that the Jaffa had not blown them all to oblivion. Some would call it luck, though Elizabeth definitely wouldn't. Her father was dead, along with all the other good men who had been working in the mine that day. _

_Elizabeth fought her tears as she stumbled back to their home. Abe was sitting on the porch, looking terrified. No doubt the explosion he had heard from the mine had him worried sick. The minute he saw his sister staggering towards him, he ran to her side. _

_Seeing her little brother was all it took for her tears to overflow. Sinking to her knees, she allowed her grief to flow over her. He was gone. And he was never coming back. She buried her face in her hands and cried. _

_Finally, she was able to get some control over her churned up emotions. She wiped away the stream of fallen tears and looked over at her brother. Abe stared into her face, his eyes asking the question he didn't have the heart to say aloud. _

_Elizabeth merely shook her head and enveloped her brother in a hug. They were all the family they had left. _

* * *

_"Jaffa! Report!" Morrigan commanded her First Prime, Bar'tok. _

_"A small explosion has just occurred in the naquadah mines of the planet, my Queen." _

_"And the Jaffa patrol that I sent?" _

_"They are not responding to our attempts to contact them over the long-range visual communicators." _

_"Take a Tel'tak to the surface and search the settlement, if the explosion proves to be an attempt at rebellion, they will suffer dearly. Report your findings at once." _

_"Yes, my Queen." _

* * *

_Elizabeth had been preparing supper when she heard them coming. After all, the Jaffa were not exactly known for their discretion. Tromping through the streets in heavy armor announced their arrival at every house along the way. And Elizabeth knew that it was only a matter of time before they arrived at their front door. _

_'The journals!' The thought hit her as the sound of hefty footfalls got louder, closer. It had been quite some time since Morrigan's Jaffa had last conducted a thorough search of the village, and Elizabeth had become a little lax in hiding the forbidden writing as well as she should. _

_Casting a worried look at Abe, Elizabeth dashed to her room and grabbed the two journals from beneath her bed. Experience told her that that was the one of the first places the Jaffa would search. _

****

_Quickly crossing the room, Elizabeth knelt down in front of the brick fireplace that heated her room. She counted 5 rows up and 5 bricks over, and began prying a brick loose from it place. Once that one was out, she pried out another loose brick that was next to it. Behind the bricks was a small cubbyhole, just big enough to hold one of her journals…but only one._

She could hear the Jaffa pound on the front door as she hastily shoved a journal into the small pocket she created. Next, she returned the missing bricks to their place in the wall. Now to hide the second journal. 

_Panic had started to set in as she heard Abe open the door for the Jaffa. She was running out of time. The book she held in her hand was tantamount to treason, and Morrigan would not deal kindly with them if it was found. _

_Looking desperately around the room, her eyes landed on a shawl that she had draped over the chair in her room. Suddenly an idea came to mind. She quickly grabbed the shawl, tied the ends together, and put the wrap around her neck. Using the shawl as a sling, she cradled her right arm to her body. Then she grabbed the journal and tucked it between her arm and her side. Hopefully she could convince the Jaffa that the blast from the mine had left her injured. _

_She could hear that the Jaffa were making their way through the small house. Gathering her courage, she waited for them to come. It wasn't long before her door flew open, revealing the two Jaffa standing just outside. _

_Elizabeth looked to the ground, hoping to give off an air of submission. "Yes, my lords?" she asked, tentatively. _

_The jaffa glared at her with contempt before addressing her. "Is it so that you were present during the explosion at the mine site?" _

_"It is." _

_"We have found the remains of two Jaffa. Jaffa killed through your treachery!" _

_"No, the explosion was not our doing." _

_"Do not lie, slave. For Morrigan is your Goddess, and she knows of your deceit." _

_"Then she will know that I deceive no one." Elizabeth stated firmly. "My own father was killed that day. He and many others of our people were trapped inside the mine when it exploded. I swear to you that we did nothing to cause this." _

_"Then how else could this have come about?" _

_Elizabeth took a deep breath. "The Jaffa fired a weapon at the entrance of the mine. I tried to stop them, but they would not listen, so we ran. I assume that caused the mine to explode." _

_The Jaffa sneered at her. "You think I would take a slaves word over that of a Goddess? She sent us here to seek out those responsible for this transgression." He quickly turned to the jaffa standing quietly behind him. "Jaffa, kree! We will let our Queen decide her fate." _

_With that, the second Jaffa grabbed Elizabeth by the left arm and jerked her roughly towards him. She resisted, trying to twist herself out of the soldier's grasp. But the Jaffa would have nothing of it. Her head swam as she tried to recover from the unexpected blow the Jaffa had delivered. She staggered slightly, and reached out to catch her balance. In that moment she lost the hold she had on her journal, and with a sickening thud, it fell to the ground. _

* * *

_Elizabeth nervously twisted her mother's ring around her finger as she waited. It had been quite some time since Elizabeth had last seen Morrigan in person, and it was never something she looked forward to. _

_Images flooded her mind as she thought of what had just happened. Abe looked so scared as the Jaffa escorted her out of the house. At least they had allowed her to give him a hug good-bye. Tears pricked her eyes as she remembered what she had whispered to him. _

_"No matter what happens to me, remember that I love you." _

_And now here she was, standing in the midst of a large room on board Morrigan's vessel, waiting for the so-called Goddess to appear. Elizabeth couldn't help but stare at the room in wonder. It was nothing like she had ever seen before. The room was large, yet it had few things in it. Before her stood a large throne, lined with deep blue cushions. Elizabeth noticed that it was ornately decorated in gold, as was much of the vessel itself. _

_The room was lit mostly with torches of fire that gave off a soft glow, and added a sense of mystery and dread to the space. She felt a pang of fear come over her as loud footsteps approached. Elizabeth took a deep breath; whatever was coming, it was not going to be good. _

**

* * *

**

_Morrigan's gaze was cold as she stared down at the slave before her. Golden evil flashed in her eyes as she addressed the kneeling girl. _

_"What is this that my Jaffa have discovered?" Morrigan asked, holding Elizabeth's journal in her hands. "Did I not forbid anyone from writing such accounts?" _

_Elizabeth knew better than to reply, she continued to stare at the floor as Morrigan paced calmly before her. _

_"Have you nothing to say for your betrayal?" _

_"The journal does not belong to me." Elizabeth lied, the words tumbling out before she even had time to second-guess them. _

_"Oh? But it was in your possession. If it is not yours, whose else could it be?" _

_Elizabeth paused, silently hoping Morrigan hadn't taken the time to read through the journal herself. "It belonged to my father." _

_"And where is he, then?" _

_"He was killed in the explosion at the mine. We just found the journal among his things." Elizabeth's heart was raced as she swallowed a small lump that had formed in the back of her throat. Would Morrigan believe her story? _

_Morrigan studied her closely, looking for any signs of deceit. It took all Elizabeth had in her to stare back into Morrigan's eyes without looking away. Eventually Morrigan seemed satisfied, and turned her back on Elizabeth. "Jaffa, kree," she commanded to the guards who were standing nearby. "Return her to the village." _

_"You're letting me go?" Elizabeth asked, a look of bewilderment crossing her face. _

_Morrigan merely smirked. "Rebellion is a serious matter. You and your people will suffer greatly as the result of your family's sin." _

_"No, please…" _

_But Morrigan gave her no opportunity to plead for her people. With a mere nod from their Goddess, the Jaffa had seized Elizabeth's arms and they began leading her back down the long passageway. _

_As they walked passed a triangular window, Elizabeth quickly glanced outside and saw that the pyramid vessel she was in was moving towards the surface of the planet. Apparently they would not be taking her back on the small vessel that she had come here on. _

_The Jaffa escorted Elizabeth to a room much smaller than the one she was just in. Like most of this vessel, it was completely empty. But there was something different; in the center there was some sort of circular design on the floor. After waiting a few moments, the Jaffa guided her to the midst of the circle. Suddenly she saw a bright light surround them, accompanied by a sound reminiscent of a rushing stiff breeze. In an instant she felt as if she was being pulled away from herself. And when she found herself again, she was back in the middle of her village. _

_Soon after stepping away from the light beam's path, Elizabeth was surprised to hear the beam activate once again. She and her escorts turned to find Morrigan standing in the wake of the light. _

_Elizabeth stood under the watchful eye of the jaffa as Morrigan called for an assembly of the colonist. Even as the others drew near, fear and anticipation threatened to overwhelm Elizabeth. She took a slow breath and forced herself to remain calm as Morrigan began to address the crowd that had gathered. _

_"I brought you to this world, so that you may more fully serve your one true Goddess. But you are a treacherous people. You claim to serve me wholly, and yet I find rebellion amongst you." Morrigan held up Elizabeth's journal. "I strictly forbade writing of this kind, but some have ignored my warnings." She paused as if to emphasize her coming words. "And now…you shall all pay for this deceit!" _

_With that, Morrigan held up her left palm, the golden band that wrapped around it glowing amber light. _

_Elizabeth watch helplessly as the light beam shone upon her forehead, until it felt as though a fire had been set inside of her mind. Pain coursed through her; she tried to scream but was unable to move. As a new wave of pain encompassed her body, the world around her began to swim. _

_"Three days!" Morrigan was saying. "You have three days to offer me due sacrifice, or all your people shall share in her fate." _

_Distantly, Elizabeth felt her body relax as she willed the surrounding blackness to swallow her mind. _

* * *

_Elizabeth woke with a start. Looking around, she saw that she was back in her own bedroom. A confused look crept across her face. Had it all been just a dream? _

_She slowly reached up and gingerly touched her forehead. She gasped as a shooting pain raced through her head. Despite being unconscious for so long, she felt exhausted. And every move she made caused her muscles to scream in protest. _

_This was…all too familiar. It was Croa'tan; there was no other explanation for what had happened. Morrigan had infected her with the disease, and then sent her back to the village to spread it among the other women. _

_"Abe?" she called out, weakly. She took a breath and tried again. "Abe!" _

_But there was no answer. _

_She gritted her teeth against the aches in her body as she pushed her self into a sitting position. Then with considerable effort, she forced her body to stand. She stumbled across her room and gratefully leaned against the wall. _

_After resting for a moment, she walked the remaining distance to her door, and opened it. "Abe?" she tried calling for her brother again. _

_Again, silence was her only reply. Her heart began to pound as she felt a knot of fear twist in her stomach. Had the Jaffa taken him? Or worse? _

_Staggering into the main room of the house, she was taken in by the mess the Jaffa had made during their search. Chairs were overturned, and clothes and other possessions were lying all over the floor. _

_As her eyes swept over the mess, she caught sight of a figure lying motionless on the floor next to the window. Her breath caught in her throat as she made her way across the room. With great effort, she leaning over him and checked to see if he was breathing. _

_Elizabeth silently thanked God as she saw his chest rise and fall steadily. She checked him over for injuries. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, attesting to the multiple blows he had received. Lifting up his shirt, she saw his ribcage and stomach were covered with multi-colored bruises. _

_She buried her face in her hands and attempted to suppress the emotions that were churning inside her. This was not the time to deal with such things. Drawing her hands away, she caught sight of the shiny metallic band on her finger. Turning her hand over, she looked closely at the two silver hands holding on to the crowned heart. _

_She thought back to the last time she had been afflicted with the Croa'tan disease. Her father told her it was Morrigan who had healed her, but she never believed that to be true. She always suspected that the ring itself had somehow restored her to health. If it had been the ring, now was the time to find out. And hopefully it would heal Abe of his wounds as well. _

_Placing one hand on Abe's forehead, and the other on his stomach, she spoke aloud. "Let Love and Friendship Reign Forever." _

* * *

"Daniel." Jack said, his patience obviously wearing thin. "We're kinda on the clock here. Will you be finishing the Agatha Christie novel _any_ time soon?"

"Jack, this journal covers parts of nearly six years of their lives. And it's not exactly light reading, either."

"Let me see." Jack said, grabbing the book from Daniel's hands before he could protest. Jack's eyes darted across the page as he read the words that were written.

_"_'_Why may wee not then looke for in good hope from the inner parts of more and greater plentie, as well of other things, as of those which wee have alreadie discovered?_'" Jack read aloud. He quickly snapped the book closed and handed it back to Daniel. "I thought you said this thing was in English?"

"It is…relatively speaking. What you just read was part of a letter that was written by Thomas Hariot to Sir Walter Raleigh, reporting the viability of beginning a colony on the land they'd found."

"And why is that in there?"

"At the time, Elizabeth Viccar's family was considering joining the colony. She often wrote about the letters and reports they received about the colony. Eventually they were among the colonist who settled in Roanoke."

"As _fascinating_ as the history lesson is, Daniel. I don't care."

"Yeah, I can tell." Daniel huffed, feeling his patience waning.

"It's not like you're doing a book report here, just get on with it, and finish the damn thing."

"Don't you think I'm trying?" Daniel's temper erupted. "My god, Jack! She is lying in there suffering…_dying_, and I can't do a damn thing to help her!"

Daniel's words caught in his throat. Gazing down at the floor, he took a deep breath, his head spinning with troubling thoughts. What if the journal was of no use at all? What if they were wasting valuable time, hoping to find something that just isn't there? What if he lost her? What if she died…never knowing how much he truly loved her?

His shoulders sagged as if the weight of the world had been laid upon them. He closed his eyes in a feeble attempt to escape the accusation his mind was making:

Janet was dying, and he was doing nothing to save her.

* * *


	11. Part 10

_1594 A.D. _

_"What is it?" Morrigan asked Bar'tok as he entered the Pel'tak and bowed before her. _

_"The female you infected with Croa'tan wishes to speak with you ." _

_"Oh?" _

_"Yes, my Queen." _

_Morrigan gave a sly smile. "No doubt she wishes to plead for her life. Pathetic, but amusing. I will make her an example to the others." _

_With that, Morrigan turned and headed for the transportation rings. _

* * *

_"But, why?" Abe asked, clearly upset by his sister's intensions. _

_"Because, it's the only way Morrigan will give our people the cure." _

_"But I'll never see you again!" _

_Elizabeth sighed, "What has been done is my fault. I defied her orders. I can't just stand by and do nothing as the others get sicker." _

_Abe looked down at the floor. "I know." He said, barely above a whisper. "But I've already lost Mother and Father…and now I'm losing you, too." _

_Elizabeth had no answer to that. She wrapped her arms around her brother and allowed a stray tear to roll down her cheek. Their family had been through so much over the past several years, and it wasn't over yet. _

* * *

_A large flash of light signaled Morrigan's arrival in the midst of the village. And there Elizabeth stood, waiting for her to come. A small group of settlers had gathered nearby. They were close enough to see what was going on, but far enough away to not draw any undue attention to themselves. _

_Elizabeth hoped Morrigan couldn't sense that she had been cured of the illness. No doubt that would only serve to enrage her further. And that was the last thing her people needed. _

_Bowing before Morrigan in a display of servitude, Elizabeth was thankful that the self-appointed Goddess was unable to read her thoughts. For if she could, Elizabeth doubted any of them would be left alive. _

_Morrigan paced coolly, in her normal fashion as she sized up the intensions of her slave girl. After a few moments she paused, and towered over the place where Elizabeth had knelt. "My Jaffa told me that you wished to see me. Is this so?" _

_"Yes, my Queen. Please, what can we do that will return us to your good graces?" _

_Morrigan smiled impishly, "Rebellion is a serious matter. Nothing short of an appropriate sacrifice can appease what has been done." _

_Elizabeth took a deep breath. "My Queen, I've come to offer myself as a sacrifice to you, if you will restore the others to good health." _

_Morrigan raised eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. "Oh?" _

_"The forbidden journal came from within my family. As the eldest child of my father, I ask that you take me in exchange for the lives of the others." _

_"And why would I do that?" _

_"The others have done nothing to merit the disease. Cure them, and take me instead. It will show the others that rebellion is met with punishment, but obedience is rewarded. That will prevent any future rebellious acts." _

_Morrigan began slowly pacing once again as she considered Elizabeth's words. After what felt like an eternity, Morrigan finally responded. "I will accept your offer. But I warn you, if your people show the slightest hint of rebellion in the future, I will spread the disease among them once again." She paused, and eyes flashed with an eerie golden glow. "And I promise you, the sacrifice to appease my anger will be one far greater than the one you offer now." _

* * *

It had taken great effort, but somehow Daniel had managed to block out his troubling thoughts and focus on the task at hand. There wasn't much of the journal left to read, and he was positive that it could give them _some_ sort of tactical advantage over Morrigan. If nothing else, it could provide intel that might be helpful. Or…well…_something_.

The past happenings of the Roanoke colony were no doubt interesting, especially to a history buff like Daniel. Under other circumstances, he would have relished the opportunity to dive into such a historical treasure. If only gaining mere academic knowledge was the goal in this case. But it wasn't. Lives were at stake, many lives. All of the women and girls of the village had been infected by the mysterious disease. That amounted to over half of the villagers, not to mention Sam and Janet.

Daniel glanced around the empty kitchen. He had been grateful that Jack hadn't called him down for losing his temper earlier. Jack knew him well enough to realize that Daniel's emotions had gotten the best of him, and that he just needed to blow off some steam. Afterwards, Daniel had given Jack an apologetic look, hoping to mend some fences. Jack merely gave him an understanding nod, then instructed the others to give Daniel some space while he finished his work.

Readjusting his glasses, Daniel turned back to his reading. _'Hmm, that's strange'_ Daniel thought, narrowing his eyes in confusion as he turned the page. Up until now the handwriting had been neat, the strokes wide and curved. But this last page was different. The writing itself was smaller, the strokes bolder and rather boxy. Daniel was no graphologist, but his experience as a linguist told him that this passage was more than likely written by a man.

Intrigued, Daniel quickly devoured the words of the final passage. With a sense of finality, Daniel snapped the worn book closed and allowed the information he had just learned to sink in.

He had no more set the book on the table when he heard a strangled cry coming from the back room. Daniel's eyes widened in surprised at the unexpected noise. He stood quickly, nearly knocking his chair over as he bolted towards the sound of the cry.

Daniel's jaw dropped when he was what was happening. Sam was gasping, trying to scream for help, but she couldn't. Janet's hands were clasped tightly around Sam's throat, trying to squeeze the life out of her.

"Janet!" Daniel screamed, grabbing her left arm roughly and pulling her grasp free from Sam.

"Get away from me!" Janet shouted, lunging toward Sam again. "She deserves to die!"

Daniel quickly grabbed Janet's other arm, and suddenly Janet was the one crying out in pain. She crumpled to the ground, holding her right arm close to her body.

"What's wrong, Janet?" Daniel asked, knowing he hadn't grabbed her arm hard enough to hurt her. But she still shrank away from as he drew steadily closer. Finally, she found herself back against the corner of the room. Janet looked around wildly for a way to escape, but there was none.

Seeing this, Daniel watched Janet's demeanor change from that of fright to one of determination. She firmly set her jaw, and her dark eyes glared up at him angrily.

"Janet, listen to me sweetheart." Daniel said, making his voice and smooth and calming as possible. "You're very sick right now. I don't know exactly what's going on, but you have to fight it."

Janet blinked, as if surprised by his statement. "No! She was going to kill me! And now you're trying to kill me!"

"I'm not trying to kill you, Janet. I love you. I'm trying to help you get better."

Janet's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, as though she were trying to decide whether or not to believe him. "You don't want to hurt me?"

"No, of course not."

He watched as she cast a suspicious look towards Sam. Leaning closer to him, she whispered, "I saw her. She took a knife and hid it under her pillow. She was going to use it on me. And then she was going to kill the rest of you."

"Sam's sick, Janet. She would never do anything like that."

"But I saw her!" Janet insisted, the wild look returning to her eyes. "Don't you see? I have to stop her, or she'll try to kill us all!" With that, Janet leapt forward, and caught Daniel by the knees. He stumbled backwards, unable to catch himself against the sudden weight of her body.

Before he even knew what was happening he was sprawled on the floor, and Janet had grabbed the knife he kept on his belt.

"Janet, no!" Daniel shouted as he scrambled to his feet.

He caught her hand in mid-strike, but a painful wail told him that he was already too late. A crimson pool of blood had already begun seeping from Sam's abdomen.

Responding partially on instinct, he squeezed Janet's wrist, forcing the knife to drop from her hand. Daniel quickly grabbed her other wrist and pulled her arms behind her back to restrain her.

"Oh, God." Daniel muttered subconsciously as he looked down at Sam, her blood continuing to stain the clean white sheets she was wrapped in.

"I had to, Daniel!" Janet sobbed. "She was going to kill you! I couldn't let her hurt you…I couldn't!"

"Come on," Daniel said, ignoring her words. Sam needed a doctor, and fast. Daniel adjusted his grip on Janet's wrists. "We need to go call for help."

Janet blinked slowly, and Daniel could tell the exhaustion of the disease was about to overtake her body once again. But still, he didn't dare leave her alone with Sam.

Helping her into the other room, he sat Janet down in one of the chairs in the kitchen.

"Stay here, Janet. And don't move, okay?" She nodded in agreement. With that, Daniel bolted into the sitting room, grabbed his radio, and ran back into the kitchen to make sure Janet was still there.

Fortunately, she was sitting right where he had left her. Clicking the radio twice before speaking, Daniel called for backup. "Jack, we need SG-8 here right away. Sam's been stabbed."

**

* * *

**


	12. Part 11

"Daniel, what the _hell_ happened?" Jack shouted as he and SG-8 came bursting through the front door.

But Daniel ignored the question. "Don't let her out of your sight!" He told Jack, gesturing towards Janet, who was passed out on the kitchen table. With that, Daniel turned on his heel and led the medical team to the back room.

_'Huh, since when do I take orders from Daniel?'_ Still, Janet _was_ sick…

"Teal'c! Stay here and keep an eye on Doc while I go find out what happened."

Teal'c gave a slight nod of acknowledgement as Jack took off towards the back of the house. He paused in the doorway, seeing that the room was bustling with activity. Daniel stood cross-armed and off to the side as Carmichael and his team were working on Sam.

Jack caught Daniel's attention. His friend's eyes widened when he saw that Jack was not watching over Janet. Jack realized Daniel's concern, and gestured backwards with his head. Daniel relaxed as he understood what Jack was getting at…Teal'c was watching her.

Jack edged his way around SG-8 and stood next to Daniel. From this vantage point he could see Sam more clearly. Blood soaked the bed sheets that Sam was lying on, and he could see a deep gash in her middle. He shuddered inwardly at the sight.

Memories of being stabbed repeatedly by Ba'al danced across his mind. Jack could certainly understand how much pain Sam must have been in after what had happened…come to think of it…what_had_happened? Daniel had never given him an answer.

Jack had just opened his mouth to speak, when Dr. Carmichael stepped away from Sam's bedside, allowing the other medics to tend to her wound.

"How is she?" Jack asked him.

Andrew Carmichael sighed and subconsciously rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, Colonel, on the whole she was lucky. We're patching her up as best we can, but she still needs medial attention in a proper facility."

"And we can't send her home."

Carmichael nodded his head. "Exactly. At this point, my greatest concern is infection. It may not be a problem at all…but on the other hand she could develop something as nasty as peritonitis."

"And that would be…bad."

"She could die from it. That is, if the disease she has now doesn't kill her first."

"And Doc?"

"We compared her blood tests with that of Elyn Viccars, it seems we were right. Janet's test shows the disease has advanced in her system more so than the others."

Daniel nodded, "In that case, we need to keep a close watch on them. Janet's been having paranoid delusions." Daniel paused briefly before continuing. "She…she grabbed my knife and…stabbed Sam. She honestly believed that Sam was planning to kill her…and all of us."

Deep down Jack had figured that something like that had happened. But still, hearing Daniel say it took him slightly aback. Janet didn't inflict wounds, she _healed_ them. Yet she had damn near killed Sam, her best friend. God, what was this disease doing to them?

"We're doing everything we can for them at the moment," Carmichael continued. "And we're still trying to identify a treatment for Croa'tan, but…"

"What you're saying is, you don't think they're going to make it." Daniel stated, his voice sounding hallow.

Dr. Carmichael sighed, "What I'm saying is, we're going to keep trying. But, if you can find a way to help them…the time is now."

**

* * *

**

Teal'c could tell by Colonel O'Neill and Daniel Jackson's expressions, that all was not well with Major Carter. Not that Doctor Fraiser was fairing much better. She was still unconscious, though he had moved her small body from the kitchen table over to the long wooden bench the Viccars family had in their sitting room.

Teal'c cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow in a silent question. O'Neill merely shook his head.

It was Daniel Jackson who spoke first. "They're doing all they can for her. Sam's fairly stable for now, but what she really needs is to be cured of this Croa'tan disease."

"What of the journal you were reading, Daniel Jackson? Did it not give you some insight into this matter?"

Daniel licked his lips and thought a moment before replying. "According to the book, the last time the Croa'tan disease was released, Elizabeth Viccars, the woman who wrote the journal, offered herself up as a sacrifice to save the others. From what I can tell, the last journal entry was written by her brother quite some time after this had all taken place. According to what he wrote, three days after giving them the disease, Morrigan returned to the village, cured one of the women, and took Elizabeth away. They never saw her again."

"Three days?" Jack repeated, looking thoughtful.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, didn't you say that the first time around ole Marge…"

"Morrigan."

"…whatever, returned three days later?"

"Hmm." Daniel replied as his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "Could be." He said, picking up the journal and flipping back through its pages.

"If that is the case, O'Neill," Teal'c said. "Perhaps Morrigan will follow the same pattern and return here tomorrow."

Daniel had stopped turning pages and was now skimming over one of the passages. Slowly he nodded his head. "Looks like you were right, Jack. She came back three days later in both cases. That could just be a coincidence, or…"

"Or?"

Daniel sighed. "Well, that means no one has ever had Croa'tan for longer than three days, so…"

"Morrigan returns just before the disease advances enough to become deadly." Teal'c concluded.

Jack shook his head. "What you mean to say is: if they don't get cured by tomorrow, they'll die."

**

* * *

**

"Jack."

"Daniel."

"Jack…"

"Daniel!"

"We don't have any choice!" Daniel said, gesturing emphatically with his arms. "If we don't take the chance, they'll die."

"FYI: Megan is a _System Lord_. We don't have the fire power to…"

"You know as well as I do that Anubis has taken most of the power and dominance from the other System Lords. She's on her way out as it is."

"And you think this is the best way to save Carter and Fraiser?"

Daniel sighed. "Well, we're running out of time here. Do you have any better ideas?"

"I think we should go ask Carter what she thinks."

"We can't. She's delusional."

"Well, so are you if you think surrendering to a Gould is a _good_ plan!" Jack retorted.

"She wants the naquadah, right? So, we rig the mines with explosives, and if things go wrong, we tell her to do things our way or we take out the mine…and her only chance of defeating Anubis' new army."

"Daniel?" Jack said with raised eyebrows. "Explosives and naquadah usually don't mix too well."

"Exactly…she'd be foolish not to agree."

"I believe Daniel Jackson is correct, O'Neill." Teal'c spoke up. "This may be the only opportunity we will have to save Major Carter and Doctor Fraiser, as well as the other women in the village."

Jack let out a breath, and looked at the ceiling, as if the answer might appear up there. Realizing they had no other choice, he finally conceded. "Fine."

With that, Jack got up and headed out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Daniel asked.

"To go think of a Plan B. I'd like to be prepared for when Plan A gets blown to hell."

**

* * *

**


	13. Part 12

Daniel knelt beside Janet's small figure. She and Sam were both sleeping peacefully thanks to the sedatives Dr. Carmichael had administered to them. Sedation was the only thing that could really be done for them at the moment. Plus, it would prevent any further delirium-induced mishaps.

Daniel cupped her soft cheek in his hand as he looked at her condition. Painful looking lesions had begun forming on her arms and legs. And her breathing was shallow. Once again Daniel was grateful for the medication that allowed her to sleep through such an affliction.

As he gazed at her, it occurred to him just how incomplete he felt. She was close enough to touch, but she was still far away in a sense. He missed talking to her about anything and everything. He missed her bright smile and infectious laugh. He missed seeing the sparkle of love light up her chocolate eyes. He missed holding her close. He missed _her_.

Daniel cleared his throat and began to speak softly. "We're going after her, Janet. Morrigan has the cure, and I won't stop until we get it. I'll be back soon, I promise. Just…just keep fighting."

He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Janet's forehead. "I love you, Janet. And I promise to never make you doubt that again."

**

* * *

**

"Are you _sure_ about this plan, Daniel?"

"Teal'c uses Morrigan's incoming rings to go up to her ship. While he's doing his thing, we bargain with her, and hopefully she'll cure the women."

"And…"

"And?"

"Then what?"

"Well, worst-case scenario, we get taken aboard her ship."

"Right."

"And, assuming he hasn't been captured, Teal'c can free us."

"And if he has been captured?"

"I guess we play it by ear."

"Ah." Jack nodded as he put on his hat. "You know…all this time, I thought it was Carter who came up with all the insane ideas."

"We take turns."

Jack gave Daniel an exasperated look. "Ok, fine. Let's just say this goes according to plan, and she _does_ cure them. Won't she be pissed when we escape? She'll just start this all over again."

"Well, I've been doing some thinking about that…"

"And…" Jack prompted.

"I think the people of the village need to be relocated."

Jack's eyebrows shot up in a questioning look. "Oh?"

"We were all here for the last seismic tremor they had. Combine that with the sheer energy of this new form of naquadah…it's just begging for trouble.

"Carter said it could be mined."

"If it's done properly, and carefully, it probably can be. But either way, I don't think it's safe enough for anyone to actually live here."

"Yeah, she mentioned something about that, too."

"Remember the first Croa'tan tree we found? It's only an educated guess, but I think that a long time ago a village used to be there. From what I could tell, it was situated close to a mining site. My guess is that something happened to cause a chain reaction with the naquadah…and the village was destroyed. Morrigan must've relocated the survivors here. That's why this village is so small. And from what we've seen, this planet's soil is rich in this new form of naquadah. That's why there aren't any other settlements on this planet…Morrigan knew that if there were too many people here, they'd very likely blow the planet up."

Jack gave Daniel a dubious look. Daniel licked his lips and continued on quickly. "And all of that aside…if Morrigan _does_ cure them, they need to get as far away from her as possible."

"So…where did you have in mind relocation-wise?"

"If nothing else, we can send them to the light side of P3X-797, they're always willing to take in refugees who need somewhere to go."

Jack nodded, but couldn't help but sigh at how farfetched this whole thing sounded. Yet he had to admit that, in his experience, it was the long shots that always seemed to do the trick. But that didn't mean he had to like it. "I'll tell Reynolds to have the villagers ready to evacuate as soon as the snake gives us the cure."

"What about…"

"I'll have him get as many isolation stretchers for the women as he can, just in case. Now, get some sleep, Daniel. Apparently, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

**

* * *

**

Teal'c too had misgivings about Daniel Jackson's plan. Still, it did seem like the best course of action, considering the circumstances. And he had vowed on his honor to do all he could to help restore Doctor Fraiser to health.

It was easy to see that time was running out for Major Carter, Doctor Fraiser, and the other female inhabitants of the village. And something had to be done quickly if they were to be saved.

So, there he stood, partially hidden behind the tree Morrigan had left the Croa'tan marking on three days ago. According to the villagers, Morrigan always chose this location to appear whenever she went to visit the planet. Teal'c could only hope that he was near enough to intercept Morrigan's transporter rings when she came. _If_ she came.

**

* * *

**

"Daniel!" Jack called as he finished changing his clothes in Thomas Brooke's bedroom.

"Yeah, Jack?" Daniel replied as he opened the door. Seeing the older man's apparel, Daniel couldn't help but smile. The white button-up shirt and brown pants that Thomas lent him were both just a bit too baggy for Jack's trim figure.

Daniel opened his mouth to say something, but Jack cut him off. "If I hear_ one_ Michael Landon comment from you, so help me…"

"Well, seems only fitting since you _were_ the one making _Little House on the Prairie_ comments there, _Pa_." Daniel replied.

Jack shook his head, briefly noticing that Daniel's mood had improved considerably now that they had a plan of action. Jack sighed as he pulled on his sagging pants. "Don't they have anything in a 30 long?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll just go ask the store clerk."

Jack threw Daniel a dirty look. "Why aren't your pants doing this too?" He asked motioning towards the similar clothing that Daniel wore.

Daniel grinned. "Because _I_ am wearing my belt."

Jack looked down at his fatigues that he'd tossed aside and scowled. Dammit. "Right." Jack said hastily as he reached for his own belt. "Everything ready?"

"Yes," Daniel replied, catching Jack's meaning. "Teal'c and I both have detonators, just in case. He's in position by the tree now."

Jack nodded as he began arming himself. At least the baggy clothing was good for something. Morrigan wouldn't expect two of her peasants to be carrying weapons, so hopefully they wouldn't be searched. And the oversized clothes hid the bulge of their gear quite nicely. Jack carefully tucked his Beretta between the waistband of his pants and the small of his back. Erring on the side of caution, he also strapped a second gun near his ankle.

"And you've got the zat, right?" Jack asked.

With a nod Daniel patted his left thigh, indicating where he had hidden the weapon.

"All right," Jack said, as he righted himself and grabbed one of Thomas' straw hats. "It's show time."

**

* * *

**

Nearly 15 minutes later, Jack and Daniel were in position in the center of Hereford. With any luck, Morrigan would show up and believe them to be peasants who wished to appease her anger for the sake of the other villagers.

Teal'c was close by, still half-crouching by the tree that was less than 10 feet away. His timing had to be perfect if he planned to get onboard Morrigan's ship. If he missed the rings when she came, he would not get a second chance.

And there they waited. As the morning sun grew higher in the sky, Daniel began to wonder whether or not Morrigan would actually come. Daniel nearly laughed at the irony, for once he was actually _hoping _that a Goa'uld would show up.

Jack was also becoming impatient with the situation. He had been on countless stakeouts throughout his career in the military, yet he still hated the waiting game. He was a man of action, and would much rather be actively doing something.

Fortunately, Morrigan didn't keep them waiting much longer. A low rumble in the distance caught their attention, the sound of which progressed in intensity as it closed in on their position. Soon, something broke through the clouds that filled the sky, and there, hovering just above the treetops, was a Goa'uld pyramid ship.

This was it. Jack's eyes darted over to Teal'c. The Jaffa merely gave a curt nod; he was ready to leap into action just as soon as Morrigan's rings were activated.

_'Good luck, T.'_ Jack silently wished.

**

* * *

**

As was the case with most Goa'uld ships, Teal'c heard its approach long before he saw the Ha'tak vessel. By the time the ship had settled within ringing range, he was fully prepared for his attempt to intercept the ring transmission.

After the rings were activated, he would have mere seconds to dive into the beam before the incoming rings blocked his way. His timing had to be precise.

Teal'c cast a quick look towards O'Neill and gave him a slight nod.

He was ready.

His eye shifted over towards Daniel Jackson as well, Teal'c knew that so much was riding on this mission's success for his friend.

He would not fail.

Looking somewhat like a cat preparing to pounce on its prey, Teal'c waited for his moment to come.

**

* * *

**


	14. Part 13

The moment the beam appeared in front of Jack and Daniel, Teal'c sprung into action. With speed and agility that seemed to defy the largeness of his body, Teal'c managed to leap into the beam moments before the first of the transport rings came down around him.

The last Jack and Daniel saw of Teal'c before he was swept up to the ship was his satisfied look that was akin to a smile. Jack and Daniel were both cheering on the inside; the first major hurdle of this mission had gone better than expected. They could only hope the rest of this mission would go as smoothly. Not that either of them were foolish enough to think that it actually would.

As Teal'c was whisked away, others were deposited in his place. Daniel immediately recognized the female in the middle as being the Goa'uld Morrigan. Once again, he silently hoped she would not recognize him from the time he had went undercover as Yu's lo'taur. She hadn't changed much since he'd seen her two years ago. Red hair, trim figure, and cold eyes.

Daniel grabbed Jack's arm and pulled him towards the ground, knowing the older man was much too stubborn to bow of his own initiative. Thankfully, Jack seemed to recognize that being defiant right now would only cause them problems. Too much was at stake to blow the mission because of mere pride.

Morrigan seemed pleased with their act of submission, and with a nod to her accompanying Jaffa, Jack and Daniel were roughly helped back up to their feet.

Ever playing the part, Daniel obediently kept his head bowed down. Jack followed suit to some extent, albeit with less enthusiasm than Daniel displayed. The things they had to do to stay alive…

After a long moment, Morrigan finally spoke. "No doubt you have come here to seek appeasement."

"We have, my Queen." Daniel replied, his eyes still cast downward.

"Your people have been treacherous from the very beginning. Perhaps I should just allow the disease to run its course and rid myself of your rebellious nature once and for all."

"Please, my lady, I beg you to hear us and grant our people mercy."

"Do you deny that foreigners came in amongst you through the portal? And that you gave to them the offering of ore that was rightfully mine?"

"It is true, people of another world came to us."

"So, you admit your sin?"

"We told the strangers of your greatness, and they said that they too wished to serve at your pleasure. They asked to be included in the ceremony at the portal, but they deceived us. Those ones took the offering for themselves, and left through the portal before we were able to stop them."

_'Man, can Daniel ever spin a line of bull when he needed to. Hmmm…'_ Somewhere in the back of his mind, Jack began to wonder about all the times Daniel had begged out of going fishing for some reason or another.

"Please, my Queen," Daniel was saying. "We will do whatever is necessary to appease you."

_'Appendicitis this, Goulded ex-girlfriend that…' _

"You well know that the price of such appeasement is nothing short of a proper sacrifice to prove your loyalty to your Goddess."

_'In seven years, the only person who ever actually went fishing with me was Teal'c…' _

"Would you consider sparing the lives of the village women if we were to offer you twice the amount of ore each month?"

_'Ah, Daniel's finally managed to get down to the good part.' _

"You have been holding back from me?" Morrigan replied, her eyes flashing in anger.

"No, my lady. But, we have just discovered another mining site nearby. We will now be able to get the offering from two separate mines. We are more than willing to work harder in your name, if only you'd spare our women from the Croa'tan disease."

Morrigan seemed to consider his words for a moment.

"You forget, slave. I own you, the mines, this planet, and your people. I am your Goddess. And you will do as I say whether I decide to spare the women of your pathetic village or not."

"What more can we offer you?"

A cold smile crept across her face as Morrigan turned her attention back to her jaffa. "Jaffa! Sha'lokma'kor kree Ha'tak!"

Jack didn't speak Goa'uld, but he knew instinctively that the worst-case scenario version of their plan was about to become a reality.

Figures.

Nothing is ever as easy as it should be.

* * *

Jack sighed as he sat himself down on the bench inside the holding cell they had just been deposited in. Jack sighed, no matter which way you slice it, imprisonment sucks. But on the bright side, Teal'c wasn't here waiting for them. And Morrigan hadn't ordered them to be searched, so they still had their gear on them. At least some things were going in their favor.

Jack watched as Daniel leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. It never failed to amaze him how much guilt Daniel could heap upon himself for any given situation.

"Daniel?"

"Yeah?"

"It's not your fault."

"Yeah."

"Hey, we knew this would probably happen. We still have the advantage here."

"I hope it's enough of one…for Janet and Sam's sake."

"Hey, leave the cynicism to me, okay? Besides, we've been in worse situations before."

Daniel raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

Jack walked over and clapped his friend on the shoulder, "That's the spirit." He opened his mouth to say more, but a loud noise outside their cell caught his attention. Jack immediately recognized the sound of approaching Jaffa.

A few seconds later the cell door slid open, revealing Morrigan's first prime and another lower-ranking Jaffa. Without a word one of them grabbed Daniel by the arm and began leading him towards the door. The second Jaffa did likewise to Jack.

"Whoa, hey!" Jack objected. "Where are you taking us?"

Daniel shot him a sharp look. They were still playing the part of being villagers, and Morrigan's loyal subjects. Now was not the time for Jack to fly off the handle at her Jaffa.

Jack let out a frustrated sigh as the Jaffa silently began marching them down the hallway. This day just kept getting better and better.

* * *

Daniel had been captured by Goa'uld often enough to know where he was being taken. Though, at the moment, that fact didn't give him much comfort. On the bright side, Teal'c apparently had not yet been discovered on board Morrigan's ship. Maybe their plan would work after all. Daniel just hoped they could force Morrigan's hand without too much trouble. What little time they had was running out quickly.

Morrigan's throne room was much like that of any other Goa'uld: open, spacious, and gaudy. The Jaffa roughly brought Daniel and Jack to a halt before the empty throne and forced them to kneel.

"This bit never gets old, does it?" Jack grunted under his breath as his knees protested against their mistreatment.

"Guess not." Daniel replied absently as they waited for Morrigan to make her appearance.

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long. Soon the echoing of the footsteps could be heard, signaling Morrigan's approach. The sound continued to increase until there she was, filling the open doorway with her presence.

"My Queen," Daniel said, bowing his head as she entered the room and sat upon her throne. "May I ask why you have brought us here?"

"I have chosen you for a special purpose." Morrigan replied coolly. "Since the very beginning, your people have proven to be rebellious and insolent by nature. Throughout the generations I've punished many for their treachery, as I will punish you."

"I don't understand."

"You claim to be in my service, yet you lie boldly to my face. It is obvious to me that your people cannot be taught respect for their one true Goddess, and my patience has run out."

"Please…"

"Therefore," Morrigan continued, "the two of you have been chosen as the device to spread a new form of Croa'tan. Let the men and the women suffer the affliction together."

"But the mines…"

"I have many faithful servants elsewhere who will gladly do my bidding." Morrigan rose from her place and walked over to Daniel. "All this could have been avoided, if only your people had recognized the power and greatness of their Goddess…"

Jack had finally reached the point where he could not take it anymore. It was just too hard to stomach all that galactic arrogance in one sitting. "Oh _please_! Spare us the power trip will ya?"

Morrigan's eyes flashed with anger. "You shall pay for your insolence, human." At that she raised her left arm, preparing to strike them with her ribbon device.

With a slight nod from Jack, both he and Daniel dove out of the way. Grabbing the hidden zat gun from his thigh, Daniel managed to shoot one of the Jaffa guards that were standing by. Jack too produced his weapon and quickly took out the other guard. Both Jaffa had been decommissioned before either knew what had happened.

Daniel and Jack next trained their weapons on Morrigan. She narrowed her eyebrows as she looked at Jack's Beretta. "You are humans of the Tau'ri. I might have known."

"Surprise." Jack said wryly.

"You cannot kill me." Morrigan said, turning the back of her left hand towards them. "I'm sure you've seen the defensive capabilities of a ribbon device."

"Listen, lady, we've got a busy day planned, so here's the deal. You cure the women suffering from this cretin thing you gave them, and you get to keep your sweet little naquadah mine on the planet."

Morrigan's eyes hardened. "And if I refuse?"

"Well, then, we blow it up. And along with it goes any chance you ever had of defeating Anubis' army."

"You lie."

"Who me?"

As they spoke, Daniel eyes were drawn past the ribbon device on Morrigan's left arm. In sharp contrast to the gold that encased her hand, he caught a glimpse of shiny sliver.

_'A ring.'_ Daniel's mind registered. _'A claddagh ring.' _Daniel's eyes widened at the implication.

"Elizabeth?" Daniel cut in, deciding to take the chance.

Jack's eyes narrowed in confusion as Morrigan turned sharply towards Daniel.

"How do you know this name?" She demanded.

"Then it's true…" Daniel said hushed tone.

"What's true?" Jack asked.

"How do you know this name!" Morrigan repeated impatiently.

"She told me." Daniel stated simply.

"Who told you what?" Jack asked again.

But Daniel was too focused on the Goa'uld to answer. Morrigan's demeanor had changed. She frowned slightly, then her cold eyes narrowed as her forehand winkled in concentration, and her hands were now clenched at her side.

_'Elizabeth is fighting her.'_ Daniel realized. Not wasting a moment of the Goa'uld's obvious distraction, Daniel quickly fired his zat gun and watched as Morrigan crumpled to the floor.

* * *


	15. Part 14

Daniel immediately knelt over the woman's body. "Elizabeth!" he called, hoping the host would be able to talk to them if the Goa'uld inside her had been knocked unconscious.

"What the hell is going on, Daniel?" Jack demanded.

"Jack, Morrigan's host is Elizabeth Viccars. The colonist who wrote the journal."

"_What_? How'd you know that?"

But before Daniel could explain, they heard a low moan coming from Morrigan's host.

"Elizabeth?" Daniel tried again.

The woman looked up at him, fear showing in her green eyes. She blinked rapidly as she sat up, as if trying to make sense of what had just happened. "Who are you?" Then her eyes narrowed. "How do you know my name?"

"Don't be afraid. We're friends. I'm Daniel Jackson, this is Jack O'Neill…and you don't have much time to talk to us."

Sensing Daniel earnestness, Elizabeth seemed to let her guard down. She nodded as Daniel's words sunk in. "Morrigan is still unconscious, but she will awaken soon and take control of me once again."

"Yeah."

"Why are you here?"

"We're explorers from Earth. We came to meet your people…"

"Earth!"

Daniel smiled, "That's right. Things have changed quite a lot since the last time you were there…"

"Daniel..." Jack prompted.

"Uh, right, Morrigan has released the Croa'tan disease on the planet, and if it isn't cured soon our friends and all the other women in the village will die."

Elizabeth nodded. "Croa'tan is a terrible thing, I've had it twice myself…before I was taken as Morrigan's host."

"Is there any way to cure it?"

"A healing device can reverse the damage. But it will only work within the first 3 days of getting the disease. After that…" Elizabeth shook her head sadly.

"So…we need to get Morrigan to cure them."

"But she won't! I've seen inside her mind…she intends to kill all the remaining ones of the village and destroy the planet."

"What?" Daniel exclaimed. "Why?"

"Anubis found out about the new variant of naquadah and has sent one of his ships, and…"

"She'd rather blow it all to kingdom-come than hand it over to him." Jack finished for her.

Elizabeth nodded.

"Why not just blow the planet up now and get it over with?" Jack asked.

"Because," Elizabeth said sadly, "she enjoys their suffering."

"There has to be another way to save them." Daniel said, pressing the heel of his hand against his forehead, a gesture he often made when trying to concentrate.

"Maybe I could help." Elizabeth said slowly.

"You? How?"

"Is it true that the Goa'uld inside me can be removed?"

"Uh…well, yeah, but…"

A look of alarm crossed Elizabeth's face. "We don't have much time, Morrigan is about to wake up."

"Well, it is possible," Daniel said quickly. "Symbiotes can be removed from hosts safely. But in your case, you've been host to her for a long time and…" He took a deep breath and continued. "You won't live very long without her inside you."

Elizabeth considered this. "But, I would only need time enough to cure one of the women, that one would then spread the cure and save the others."

The woman's voice had begun to waiver, and Daniel could tell Elizabeth was fighting to remain in control. "You'd sacrifice yourself to help us?"

She gave Daniel a tight smile. "Everyone and everything I know is now gone. Years ago I sacrificed myself, hoping it would save my people. Instead, I have been used by Morrigan to inflict countless sufferings upon them. This is my one chance to fix things once and for all."

Daniel nodded, "I understand. But there is a small problem…we don't know how to do the procedure. Our allies the Tok'ra can do it, but there's no way we could contact them and get them here in time."

Elizabeth drew a shallow breath. "Find…Azriel. She can help…"

She was losing the battle; quickly Jack grabbed her hand and began taking off Morrigan's hand device. The last thing they needed was for Morrigan to come-to while she was still armed.

"Hang in there, Elizabeth." Daniel encouraged. "We'll figure out something."

Jack finished removing the device just in time. With a golden glare, the Goa'uld regained control of her host.

* * *

Morrigan cried out angrily as she shoved Daniel to the side and rose from the floor. Daniel sighed; he'd been hoping to get more information from Elizabeth. And he knew that if he zatted her again, it would kill both Morrigan and her host. What was worse, in mere moments Morrigan would know everything that Elizabeth had told them.

Morrigan composed herself quickly, crossing her arms and giving Jack and Daniel a smug look. "My host is stubborn and strong-willed, true, but she's not very smart, and as you could tell…not much of a talker. You see, I have conquered her. It was foolish of you to think you could reach her."

Daniel made a conscious effort not to let his confusion at her words show, but inside his mind was reeling. Didn't she know that Elizabeth had talked to them? If not…what was preventing her from reading her host's mind?

Jack's expression remained unchanged, though he was just as bewildered as Daniel. "Well, you know how it is..." Jack replied simply, not really knowing how else to respond. He nodded towards the gun that he had trained on her. "But enough of the chit-chat, let's get down to business…"

"I am not a fool. I know you have no intension of harming me."

"What makes you think that?"

"The Tau'ri are well-known for feeling compassion for the host."

"Well, according to you, your host isn't worth the effort."

"I could have lied."

"Lie? But you've got such an honest face."

"I'm also the only chance you have of saving the people on the planet. If you kill me, you kill them as well."

A faint sound in the hallway caught Daniel's attention. "Uh-oh." He muttered.

"Crap." Jack said, as he heard the telltale sounds of Jaffa in the hallway.

"We've been cut off, Jack. There's a Jaffa patrol headed this way."

With each passing moment the clanging of the armor continued to grow louder. Yep, they were definitely getting closer.

"What now?" Daniel asked.

"Well, we have Ms. Goddess here as hostage, that's something."

Daniel carefully peeked around the doorway to get a better view of the approaching jaffa. "Here they come," he whispered softly.

Morrigan gave Jack an evil glare as she uncrossed her arms, revealing the small device she had slipped over her fingers.

"Damn." Jack muttered. It looked just like the ring weapon Osiris had nearly killed Carter and her boyfriend with at Daniel's house a few weeks ago.

"Ah, you seem to be familiar with this." Morrigan said, indicating the device on her hand. Her eyes narrowed at him. "Now, you and your friend will drop your weapons."

Jack knew they had no choice but to do as Morrigan said. He threw a look over at Daniel. But as he caught his friend's eye, Daniel ever so slightly nodded towards something on the floor. The ribbon device. Jack blinked a reply and waited for the right moment.

"Lower your weapons, Tau'ri!" Morrigan commanded. "Or I will be forced to demonstrate the use of this device."

Sighing as if defeated, Jack complied, lowering the barrel of his Beretta until it was at just the right height. The gun discharged loudly, hitting its intended target. The center stone shattered, and pieces of the golden device flew off in every direction. He had bought them some time. At least now Morrigan couldn't infect them with Croa'tan yet.

Anger flashed in her eyes. "You will suffer for this." The Goa'uld extended her arm, aiming the device on her finger directly at Jack's head. On instinct, Jack dove to the ground and rolled out of the path of the red electrical bursts that had discharged from the device. Hearing the commotion, the group of armed jaffa filled Morrigan's throne room.

"Jaffa kree!" She shouted angrily. Smoothing her hair down, Morrigan seemed to gather herself and regain control of her emotions. "Search them and return them to their cell. They will soon pay for their impudence." With that, she turned away abruptly and left the room.

Jack sighed as one of the Jaffa armed a zat gun and walked towards him. '_It's never easy.'_

* * *


	16. Part 15

Daniel awoke with a start, blinding pain echoing through his mind. He squinted in pain, but gradually forced his eyes to remain open. He sat up slowly and looked around at the familiar room he found himself in. His eyes fell on Jack, who was leaned against the far wall trying to abate boredom by playing with the cover of his watch.

"How long have we been out?" Daniel asked.

"Me? About 10 minutes. You? About 20. Did they get the detonator?"

Daniel searched his pockets, but came up with nothing. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Well, that's just dandy. The Goa'uld plans on getting rid of the planet, and we all but give her everything she needs to do it."

"Morrigan doesn't seem in a particular hurry to blow the place up just yet, so we still have some time to figure something out."

"Ah. So, this would be the play-it-by-ear part of the plan?"

"Apparently."

A soft noise outside the cell door caught Jack's attention. As he raised his fist to signal Daniel to keep quiet, Jack began creeping towards the door. Daniel followed his lead until they were each standing with their backs pressed against the wall on opposite sides of the doorway, ready to spring on anyone who entered.

The door slid open, but before Jack could even react a large hand had encompassed his throat. Jack looked over cautiously, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw who had grabbed him.

"Teal'c! 'Bout time you showed up." Jack said after Teal'c had released him. "Where've you been?"

Teal'c nodded towards the tall Jaffa that had accompanied him. "This is Ha'pac, a Jaffa loyal to our cause. He has helped me to arrange a meeting for us with an undercover Tok'ra among Morrigan's ranks."

"Azriel?" Daniel asked.

"How did you know this name?" Ha'pac asked in surprise.

"Well, we talked to Morrigan's host, Elizabeth, she mentioned that we needed to find someone named Azriel."

"Then surely Morrigan must be aware that Azriel is a Tok'ra." Teal'c stated.

"That's the thing," Daniel replied. "She doesn't. She doesn't even realize that her host talked to us."

"What do you mean, Daniel Jackson?"

"Morrigan doesn't seem to be able to hear the thoughts of her host."

"How can this be?"

"Who knows," Jack said. "But we'll take whatever advantage we can get."

"We should leave." Ha'pac announced. "A Jaffa patrol could come at any time."

"Indeed." Teal'c said, nodding in agreement. "It is almost time for our meeting with the Tok'ra, as well."

* * *

"I'm sorry, I cannot do what you ask."

"Why not?"

"I understand your eagerness to save the villagers, and your friends, but I'm afraid I cannot help you."

"Yes, we heard you the first time." Jack replied irritably. "The question was 'why'?"

"There are several reasons," Azriel said. "To remove a Goa'uld symbiote I need the approval of the High Council."

"I thought you said there were _several_ reasons?"

"Not to mention the fact that it's nearly impossible for a single Tok'ra to remove a Goa'uld without killing both the host and the symbiote."

"Well, then, could you at least save the villagers with the healing device?" Daniel suggested.

"Unfortunately, no. Not just any healing device will cure Croa'tan. To ensure no one else would come along and heal the villagers, Morrigan constructed a special healing device…and it alone is able to cure the disease."

Daniel sighed in frustration. "Isn't there _anything_ you can do to help us? Elizabeth was the one who told us to come to you in the first place."

Azriel's eyes widened in surprise, "Morrigan's host? You spoke with her?"

"Only briefly. We used a zat on her, and she was able to speak with us while Morrigan was unconscious."

"Yeah, she obviously knows you're a Tok'ra, so how come the Goa'uld doesn't?" Jack asked.

"I have wondered that for many years myself. Elizabeth served as Morrigan's lo'taur before she was taken as host. During her time in Morrigan's service, I could tell that Elizabeth's allegiance to Morrigan was false. I eventually revealed myself as a Tok'ra to her, in the hopes of forming a group of rebels amongst Morrigan's servants."

"What happened?" Daniel asked.

"I told her much about the Tok'ra, and our fight against the Goa'uld. She gladly agreed to join us, wanting to do anything she could to save her people. As a lo'taur she was able to get access to important information."

"So what happened?"

"Not long afterwards, Morrigan's former host was severely wounded, and Elizabeth was taken."

"But Morrigan never found out that you were a Tok'ra." Daniel stated.

"I was brought before Morrigan, I had no idea she had changed hosts until that moment. As soon as I saw her, I figured she would have me executed."

"But…" Jack prompted.

"She didn't." Azriel continued. "It was as if nothing had happened. I was still leery of her at first, but it has been several hundred years since that happened."

"And you have no explanation for this?" Teal'c asked.

"My best guess is that something is protecting Elizabeth's mind, keeping Morrigan from reading any of the thoughts that Elizabeth chooses to keep from her."

"Why not just all of her thoughts?" Daniel asked.

"As you know, normally symbiotes have free access to the mind of the host. Every thought, emotion, and memory is blended between the two minds. But not in this case. That being said, Morrigan obviously hasn't caught on to the fact that Elizabeth is hiding some things from her, which can only mean one thing…"

"Elizabeth must have figured out that if she shared some of those things, Morrigan would never know that Elizabeth was holding anything back." Daniel concluded.

"Exactly. Elizabeth has the unique ability to share with the Goa'uld only the information that she wants to."

"All this is just great," Jack said impatiently, "but it still doesn't help us save the others…and we're kinda running out of time here."

Daniel glanced at his watch and visibly paled. "My god," he muttered under his breath. He looked over at Jack in alarm. "We have approximately 2 hours before the Croa'tan is irreversible."

Jack nodded his head. "Well, guess it's time then."

"For what?"

"Plan B, of course."

* * *

A short while later Teal'c and Ha'pac had accompanied Jack and Daniel back to their holding cell.

"Are you certain, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

Jack gave his friend a small smile. "I know it's risky, but we're out of options at this point. This is our only chance to force Morrigan's hand."

Teal'c nodded and stretched out each of his arms, one hand falling on Jack's shoulder, the other on Daniel's. Squeezing each of their shoulders he bowed his head slightly. "I have no doubt that you will succeed."

"Thanks, Teal'c." Daniel said, appreciating his friend's gesture.

Teal'c merely gave a half-smile as he handed Jack a zat gun.

"Now, get outta here before Ha'pac comes back." Jack said.

Teal'c nodded in agreement, stepped into the corridor, and closed the cell door behind him. Jack and Daniel waited in silence for Ha'pac to come back from telling Morrigan that her prisoners wished to see her.

As they waited, Daniel could feel every precious moment as it slipped away. The tension and stress inside him were mounting past bearable levels. And that insistent voice was still in the back of his mind, the one that kept accusing him of not doing enough to save Janet, the one that continuously beat him for not saving Sha're, the one that would never let him forgive himself for failing.

Jack watched as Daniel gazed down at the floor, his arms wrapped tightly around himself. A sure sign of what he called "Daniel guilt".

"You ready?" Jack asked, hoping to distract his friend from whatever damning thoughts he'd been thinking.

"Yeah," Daniel said as he readjusted his glasses. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"No reason." Jack said with a shrug.

"How much longer do you think it'll be?"

"Not long I hope. After our last visit, I'm sure her _Highness_ is eager to see us."

Daniel just raised his eyebrows slightly and nodded in agreement.

"You know, those guys should really invest in some rubber-soled boots." Jack commented as he once again detected the approach of the coming Jaffa.

A few minutes later the cell door slid open, revealing two Jaffa. Morrigan's First Prime entered the small room first. As was usually the case, the Jaffa was tall and muscular in stature. His presence was intimidating, and demanded respect. Ha'pac entered shortly thereafter. He stood next to his superior and gave Daniel and Jack a withering look, never revealing the true nature of his loyalties.

"I am Bar'tok, First Prime of The Queen Goddess Morrigan. You have defied her will, and you will be punished."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Jack said, rolling his eyes. "We know the whole schpeal by heart. So, do you think we could move this along? Tight schedule and all, you know how it is…"

"Silence, Tau'ri!" Bar'tok commanded as he gestured for Ha'pac to lead the prisoners from the cell.

With one Jaffa in front of them and one behind, Daniel and Jack were led down the same path of hallways as before. Soon they found themselves back in Morrigan's throne room where they were immediately forced to kneel before her once again.

The Goa'uld stood gracefully, nodding for her two Jaffa to take their positions on either side of her throne.

She sauntered towards them, her air of superiority ever present. A cold smile crept across her features as she looked down at them. "The System Lords have long waited for the day that you would fall before one of us."

"Well, isn't this just your lucky day?" Jack said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

The Goa'uld ignored his remark and continued. "It was inevitable that you would fall into the hands of your Goddess. And here you are." As Morrigan was speaking the doorway of the throne room slid open, seconds later two Jaffa walked in carrying a metallic storage case. Carefully placing the container on the floor, the Jaffa quickly bowed to Morrigan and exited the room.

Morrigan looked pleased as she walked towards the crate and opened the lid. She reached inside a pulled out the contents – a ribbon device.

Jack and Daniel groaned simultaneously as she slipped the device on, serving only to widen Morrigan's wicked smile. "Now, which of you would like to be the first to experience the will of your Goddess?"

Morrigan looked between her two prisoners before her gaze finally settled upon Jack. "You have spirit, Tau'ri. But be assured, Croa'tan can break even those with the strongest of wills, even you."

"No, I don't think so." Jack replied.

"We shall see." Morrigan said as she raised the device to his forehead.

The ribbon device's soft amber light had no more begun to glow when a loud flash from behind Morrigan caught their attention. Startled, Morrigan turned to see her First Prime's body lying motionless on the floor before her throne.

The Goa'uld's eyes flashed angrily as she turned to Ha'pac, who had turned to aim his staff weapon at her. "Jaffa, kree! What is the meaning of this?"

"Shel kek nem'ron." Ha'pac said, declaring his freedom.

"Sholva!" Morrigan exclaimed, raising her ribbon device once again. But before she was able to strike at her Jaffa, powerful arms wrapped themselves around her legs and shoved her to the ground.

"Nice going, Daniel." Jack commended as he took hold of the Goa'uld and removed both the hand device and the ring device from her possession. "We need to have a little talk."

Morrigan glared at him, but remained silent.

"Here's the deal, you've got two choices. You can agree to cure the villagers, leave your host, and be on your way…or…well, let's put it this way…you won't like the second option."

"Meaning?" Morrigan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Meaning we'll use a Tok'ra to yank your sorry ass out of there and send whatever's left of you to Anubis."

"You wouldn't." Morrigan said with confidence.

"Without thinking twice."

Jack watched as Morrigan searched his face for any signs that he was lying. Finding none, she scowled at him. "See?" Jack said with a bright smile. "I knew you wouldn't like it."

"Ah, but what of the slaves? If you remove me from my host you will be killing them as well."

"Because only you can cure them?" Daniel asked.

"That is correct." Morrigan said smugly.

"Is that so?" Jack said as he reached into the folds of Morrigan's flowing garment and produced her healing device. "From what I understand, any old snake can use this thing."

"You know nothing!" Morrigan spat.

"Sure I do, I just like throwing people off…so made your decision yet?"

"Come on," Daniel prompted. "Save a few people and live. It's an easy choice."

Morrigan glared at both of them before nodding her head slightly.

"Good!" Jack said with enthusiasm. "That's the spirit."

* * *


	17. Part 16

With a bright flash of light Jack, Daniel, Ha'pac, and Morrigan were transported back down to the center of Hereford. Glancing around at the empty streets, Daniel realized the disease must have taken a turn for the worse. Every one of the villagers was inside with their sick loved ones. Panic threatened to overtake Daniel as he looked down at his watch. "Let's go, Jack. We don't have much time left."

Jack gave a curt nod and with that they quickly escorted Morrigan in the direction of Robert and Elyn Viccars' home.

As the group approached the house, the front door was opened for them by Colonel Reynolds.

"Reynolds." Jack said in greeting.

"What is she doing here?" Reynolds asked, nodding towards Morrigan.

"We made ourselves a little bargain. Maggie here is gonna fix what she screwed up."

"You trust her?"

"No, not really. But if she wants to live, she'll play by the rules." As they talked, the others proceeded into the house, leaving the two colonels alone. "How are the relocation plans?"

"All non-essential LIPs have been shipped off-world. Everyone else is packed and ready to go on your order."

"Good." Jack said clapping Reynolds on the shoulder as he turned and walked through the doorway.

"You ready?" Daniel was saying to Morrigan as they walked through Viccars' sitting room.

"Of course."

"How fast will the cure spread after you've healed them?"

"Faster if you stop questioning me."

"Right." Daniel said brusquely. "Follow me." With that he led the way into the spare room where Sam and Janet were staying. Jack and Ha'pac followed behind Morrigan.

One look at Janet made Daniel's heart clench. He barely recognized her. The Croa'tan disease had reduced the brilliant, vibrant, strong woman that he loved into a nothing more than a small, frail shadow of who she was.

"Oh, God." He whispered, wishing for nothing more than the ability to save her, and keep her safe forever.

Tearing his eyes away from Janet, Daniel looked across the room at Sam. If possible, her condition appeared to be even worse than Janet's was. What skin she had that was unmarred by legions, was deathly pale. That was more than likely due to the loss of blood from the stab wound.

Looking down, Daniel realized that his hands were shaking. Anger and fear coursed through him as he watched two of the most important people in his life barely hanging on. He took a deep breath and forced himself to remain in control of his emotions. They were so close to fixing all of this.

Morrigan, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying the suffering of the two people lying before her.

"Wipe that grin off your face and do what you came to do." Jack said, slapping the healing device in Morrigan's hand.

With a smirk, Morrigan slid the device on her right hand and approached Sam's bed.

"Just so we're clear." Jack said. "If they die. You die."

"So it would seem." Morrigan replied. With that she stretched both arms over Sam's limp body, closed her eyes, and activated the device. Sweeping the orange light to and fro over Sam, Morrigan seemed to concentrate on her stomach before moving up to her forehead.

A low moan from Sam alarmed Jack, but before he could react, Morrigan had opened her eyes and deactivated the device in her hand.

"Well?" Jack said expectantly.

"The disease is gone, and her stomach is healed."

"You healed her stomach wound?" Daniel asked, confused by Morrigan's seemingly charitable act.

"I healed her in the interests of my own survival, not hers."

"Well, then, in the interests of your survival…it's _her_ turn." Jack said, pointing towards Janet.

After casting a glare of resentment over at Jack, Morrigan turned and stepped towards the other bed.

Daniel found himself holding his breath as the healing device was activated. After a few seconds, Morrigan opened her eyes and looked at O'Neill, the device still active in her hand.

"This device is quite ingenious," Morrigan stated. "As easily as it can give life to those who are ailing, it can just as easily take it away."

"What do you think you're doing?" Daniel asked, feeling like he had been punched in the stomach.

"Altering our deal."

"Excuse me?" Jack objected.

"If you want this one to live, you will agree to my terms."

"Terms?" Daniel repeated hoarsely.

"Yes. You will release me, without removing me from my host."

Jack smiled as he pulled out his zat gun. "Or I could just shoot you."

"Don't be foolish. It wouldn't take much for her to be gone forever. Firing a weapon at me will only put her blood on your hands."

Daniel felt his heart leap into his throat. He looked around the room quickly, desperate for a way to help Janet. He couldn't let Morrigan take her away from him. Not now, not when he was so close to getting her back.

"Take me instead." Daniel blurted out, though he wasn't entirely sure where the words had come from.

"Daniel!" Jack rebuked.

But Daniel wouldn't be talked out of this. "I'm sorry, Jack, I have to."

Morrigan's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"If you want to leave, I'm your best bet for getting out of here in one piece. She's too sick to walk…and you can't make it back to your ship without a hostage. I'll get you back to your ship, if you promise to leave her and the rest of these people alone."

Morrigan seemed to consider his words. Finally, she nodded. "But I warn you, human. If you do anything to cross me, I will kill the both of you. Along with the rest of the miserable people on this planet."

Daniel nodded in reply.

"Now, retrieve my ribbon device."

Daniel turned towards Jack and held out his hand expectantly. Jack gave him a look, "Are you sure about this, Daniel?" he muttered as he felt around his pockets for the alien device he had taken from Morrigan earlier.

"It's the only way to save Janet." Daniel replied, blinking once deliberately and then glancing upwards, hoping Jack would catch his meaning.

Jack looked slightly confused by Daniel's actions as he located the device. Daniel then glanced over at Ha'pac and then once again blinked and glanced upwards. Understanding dawned on Jack. He gave Daniel a slight nod as he handed the ribbon device over to Daniel.

Device in hand, Daniel walked back towards Morrigan who still held Janet in a glowing amber beam of light. As Daniel approached, the Goa'uld outstretched her left arm towards him. "Place it on my arm, and I will let this one go."

Seeing that he had no other choice, Daniel complied, sliding her arm into the coil of gold, and placing the tips on each of her fingers.

When Daniel had finished, Morrigan turned her attention to Jack and Ha'pac. "You two, put your weapons down."

With a grunt of unhappiness, they did as they were told.

Next, the Goa'uld gestured towards the far corner of the room. "Sit, and do not follow us."

"It's a bit drafty on the floor…" Jack started to say.

"Jack." Daniel said, throwing him a look.

"Right." Jack replied with a sigh. "Sitting down."

With that Morrigan finally deactivated the healing device she was holding above Janet. "Move." She commanded Daniel, gesturing towards the bedroom door.

Daniel took one last look at Janet and then raised his hands in front of him, hoping the Goa'uld would see this as a sign of cooperation. And with that, he headed towards the front of the house.

When they got to the sitting room, they found the members of SG-3 and 8 ambling around the Viccars' sitting room. They jerked to attention when they saw Daniel come out of the back room followed by the Goa'uld.

"What's going on here?" Colonel Reynolds asked, gripping his P-90.

"Colonel, just let us go." Daniel said, hoping Reynolds would do just that. "She's cured the disease, and I've agreed to get her back to her ship."

"Lower your weapons, or I will kill him." Morrigan stated, causing her ribbon device to glow as she spoke.

Reluctantly Reynolds nodded to his men, and they each lowered the weapons they carried.

Daniel turned towards Dr. Carmichael, "Take good care of them, Andrew."

"I will, Daniel." Dr. Carmichael replied with a nod.

"Hi'ato!" The Goa'uld ordered, giving Daniel a shove.

"Okay, okay." Daniel said as he opened the Viccar's front door and stepped outside, keenly aware of Morrigan's presence close behind him. As they made their way down the narrow streets of Hereford, Daniel noticed that she was staying several paces behind him; no doubt so she could watch his every move, yet stay close enough to punish him if he tried to do anything foolish.

Before long Daniel and Morrigan were approaching the center of the village and Morrigan's ship, which was still hovering above the treetops. Morrigan gave a self-satisfied smile as they reached the spot where the ship's rings would activate.

"One question," Daniel said before she could press the button on her ribbon device to activate the rings. "Why did you go to the trouble of curing Sam, if you were just going to use them to escape?"

But Morrigan didn't answer him, instead she activated the rings. Daniel sighed in frustration as he watched the world fade away into bright white light.

* * *

When the light from the ring transporters subsided, Daniel and Morrigan found that they were not alone. Standing directly in front of the ring platform was Azriel and several of Morrigan's Jaffa.

Daniel stood riveted in place as Azriel bowed before Morrigan. "My Queen, we had just heard of your capture and were sending a patrol to free you."

"No need," Morrigan said taking a few steps towards Azriel. "The humans of this planet will soon pay for their disobedience."

"How do you mean?"

Morrigan flashed a wicked smile. "Where is the Tau'ri detonation device?"

"It is on the Pel'tak, my Queen."

"Good." Morrigan said, walking toward the door.

"And the human?"

"Bring him. He will want to witness the destruction of his friends."

"Hey, wait!" Daniel objected. "We had a deal!"

Morrigan barely glanced back at Daniel before returning her attention to Azriel.

"What of the Croa'tan disease?" she was saying.

"The cure they received will do them no good after the naquadah mines are detonated." Morrigan replied smugly.

'This cannot be happening.' Daniel thought to himself as he shot a pleading look to Azriel, praying that she wouldn't allow the Goa'uld to do such a thing.

But Azriel merely looked over at two of her Jaffa and nodded towards Daniel. The Jaffa bowed their heads slightly before grabbing Daniel's arms and escorting him to the Pel'tak along with the others.

* * *

"Activate the detonation device," Morrigan commanded from her throne in the middle of the Pel'tak.

"My Queen," Azriel said. "Our long-range sensors are detecting an incoming ship. Forgive me, but would it not be best to wait until Anubis arrives before detonating the mines?"

Morrigan looked thoughtful, considering the suggestion that had been made. "You believe the explosion will be big enough to destroy Anubis' ship?"

"There is a good possibility, My Queen."

Morrigan smiled, and glanced over at Daniel, who was standing near the right wall of the Pel'tak. "Your friends may get to live a while longer." Next she turned to her jaffa. "Fly the ship to the far side of the distant moon, there we will wait for the ship to come."

"You expect the detonator you got from us to work from that range?" Daniel asked skeptically.

"Not with such a primitive design. However, I have seen to it that the necessary modifications have been made."

"Oh." Daniel said, his stomach sinking further. And where the hell was Teal'c? He had been hoping that the Jaffa would be able to do something to stop Morrigan from destroying their friends along with the villagers.

Daniel found himself rubbing his eyes, a sure sign of stress. If nothing else, Azriel's delay gave Jack and the others at least some time to get to the Stargate. But would it be enough? He could only hope so. Though they more than likely didn't even realize the danger they were in.

It wasn't long before a Goa'uld mother ship appeared out of hyperspace above the planet. Daniel could tell by the looks of it that it wasn't Anubis' personal Ha'tak vessel, he must have sent another of his ships to scout the naquadah deposits of the planet.

_'Please let them get out safe, please let them get out safe…'_ Daniel's mind chanted over and over as he watched the ship swiftly descending towards the surface of the planet. Daniel could tell that Morrigan was waiting for just the right moment to order the detonation of the naquadah mines.

Daniel watched helplessly as the ship continued on its course. Morrigan's eyes were wide and eager, like those of a predator that was about to pounce on its next meal. Daniel involuntarily held his breath as the ship sank down below the planet's atmosphere.

_'Please let them get out safe…' _

"Activate the detonation device." Morrigan commanded Azriel.

Daniel thought he heard Azriel mutter something softly, but he couldn't catch the words. After a brief hesitation, Tok'ra reached out her hand and pressed the button on the detonator.

The sound of the blast was deafening, even from their place by the planet's most outlying moon. Daniel felt the air in his lungs rush out and the familiar sting of tears in his eyes as he witnessed the massive chain reaction that devastated the planet below. Bursts of fire and raw energy shook the unsuspecting world to its very core. Daniel squinted, trying to make out what had happened to Anubis ship, but it was nowhere to be seen amidst all the flame and smoke.

The naquadah in the soil continued to erupt across the landmass until it could no longer be contained. Morrigan's ship shuttered violently at the reverberation from the explosion. Daniel could do nothing but brace himself against the wall and stare out the window, never before had he seen destruction like this on such a large scale.

And he hoped to God the people that he loved were not on that planet. The very thought made him sick as he stared out the window. When the shockwaves of the blast finally subsided, and the smoke and dust eventually started to clear, it was plain to see that the planet that had once been there before them was now completely gone, blasted into oblivion.

But what if it was true? What if they had not gotten away? Daniel leaned his head against the wall._ 'Not again'_ he pleaded. A familiar sense of hopelessness enveloped him. And once again he felt like everything that was good in his life was gone. A feeling he had experienced more than once in his life. The death of his parents, the loss of Sha're, the destruction of Abydos…and now this.

Daniel fought back tears; he had worked so hard to go on fighting, to go on living. Despair threatened to overwhelm him; he just couldn't stand to lose everything and everyone he cared for all over again…

* * *


	18. Part 17

Jack and Ha'pac had remained seated on the floor of the bedroom until they heard Daniel and Morrigan walk out the front door. Gritting against the pain in his knees, Jack picked himself up off the floor and stretched his tired muscles. What a day this had been. And it wasn't over yet.

Jack's thoughts were interrupted when Dr. Carmichael rushed into the room. "They've been cured?"

Jack looked first at Sam, then at Janet, and shrugged. "I guess."

"What about the others?"

"Well, Daniel said that the cure will spread just like the disease did."

"A contagious cure?" The doctor asked skeptically.

"That's what he said."

A moan from Sam's side of the room interrupted their conversation.

"Carter?" Jack asked, going over to her bed.

"Sir?" Sam said hoarsely.

"Easy Carter, you still need to rest." With that he turned back to Dr. Carmichael. "Well, that's an improvement." As he spoke another figure entered the room. "Reynolds." Jack acknowledged, turning to face the colonel.

"How are they?" Reynolds asked nodding towards Sam and Janet.

"They'll be fine."

"And what about Daniel? Are you going to let Morrigan have him?"

"Course not, but Daniel knows he's not alone up there. As he so graciously pointed out to me, Teal'c is still onboard. And so is an undercover Tok'ra…for whatever that's worth…"

A low clicking sound caught both Reynolds' and O'Neill's attention. In the corner of the room Ha'pac had activated a small round device that he was holding in his hand.

"Where the hell'd you get that?" Jack asked, motioning to the Tok'ra communicator.

"Azriel gave it to me on the ship."

"Well, hand it over." Jack said, outstretching his hand. The jaffa obliged, letting O'Neill have the small communicator.

Jack gently squeezed the device and began talking. "Hey Gargamel…err…Azriel, you there?"

"O'Neill?" A voice said over the communicator.

"Yeah, listen. Morrigan pulled a fast one, she's got Daniel hostage and they are on their way back to the ship."

"I see. There is something you should know as well. I have just received word from the Tok'ra High Council. I have orders to allow Morrigan to destroy the planet."

"Ex-cuse me?"

"A ship from Anubis is on its way. His power above the System Lords is gaining and we need to take whatever opportunities we can to weaken his efforts."

"Yeah, ok…but what about us? We've got some pretty sick ladies down here"

"But at least one of them has been cured?"

"Yeah." Jack confirmed.

"Is there anyway you can transport them back to your world where they may all be exposed to the cure?"

"Well…I suppose we could put to use those isolation stretchers we brought along as a last resort…"

"Anubis' ship will arrive soon. I suggest you start evacuating all the people immediately."

"And what if we're still here when Anubis' ship comes?"

"I will try to delay for as long as possible. If she orders me to destroy the planet before your people are ready to leave, I will reveal my identity to her."

"Can I call you when we're ready?"

"Before you leave the planet, squeeze the communicator twice, but do not speak. I will be able to hear it and know when you are ready."

"Yeah, okay. O'Neill out."

With that Jack turned to the others. "Ok, everyone you heard her. We have got to go and I'm talking right now. Reynolds, get SG-3 and 8, tell them to get whatever men are left to help load all the women in the stretchers we brought and start heading to the Stargate."

Next he turned his attention to Carmichael, "Doc, you a fast runner?"

"Wh…"

"Good! Get the Gate as fast as you can, dial earth and tell General Hammond to have all female personnel sent topside ASAP. We don't want any of them getting near this disease. You should also probably set up the isolation labs for our guests. Got it?"

Carmichael gave him a brief nod and with that, took off out the door. Jack slipped the Tok'ra communicator into his pocket, and hurried to help the others get ready for the evacuation.

**

* * *

**

Daniel stood riveted in place as he continued to stare at the aftereffects of the blast. As he watched, his thoughts continued turning from bad to worse. Finally he closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and gave himself a mental shake; there was no need to jump to unfounded conclusions, not when they could still be alive.

"Now," Morrigan said sounding pleased. "Return the human to the holding cell. I'm sure there is much we can learn from him."

Daniel cast an urgent look over at Azriel; the Tok'ra caught his eye and gave him the briefest of smiles. "I cannot." She replied to Morrigan.

"You dare defy me?" The Goa'uld said with a raised eyebrow.

"I was given a message to deliver to you."

"What is it?"

Azriel smiled. "The High Council of the Tok'ra sends its greetings, and thanks you for your assistance in fighting Anubis." At these words, the Jaffa in the Pel'tak raised their staff weapons, pointing them towards their former Goddess.

Morrigan's eyes flashed in anger as she started to raise her left arm up to use her ribbon device.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Azriel said. "You'll find that you have been surrounded by a Tok'ra force field.

Not completely convinced, Morrigan cautiously reached her hand out only to find that she was touching a wall. Shimmering red energy waves danced out from where her hand rested against the shield. Seeing that she was indeed trapped, the Goa'uld cried out in frustration. "Jaffa, kree!" she commanded, feebly hoping some of her former slaves would heed her orders.

Movement in the doorway caught Daniel's attention. A familiar figure had just entered the Pel'tak – Teal'c.

"I believe you will find that what few Jaffa you have remaining loyal to you, will be useless." Teal'c said loudly. "For they have been locked in the cargo hold of this ship."

"Ha'taaka!" Morrigan said with menace, hatred burning in her eyes.

"And you are nothing but a false god." Teal'c declared firmly. "One who deserves nothing less than death for the pain you have caused countless people."

"But, you still have a choice," came Daniel's voice from beside her.

Morrigan looked over at him, her seething anger was still present, but Daniel could tell that he had caught her attention. "Leave your host."

She cocked her head to the side, but remained silent.

"Leave your host, comply with our original deal, and we'll send you wherever you want to go."

"I think not, human. This host belongs to me."

"Well, or we could just…send you to Anubis. I'm sure he'd love to find out firsthand what happened to his ship."

"I cannot survive without a host. You sentence me to death either way!"

Daniel threw a look back at Azriel; at this the Tok'ra turned and spoke a few words to a Jaffa that was standing beside her. The Jaffa nodded, and quickly left the room. Moments later he returned, carrying what Daniel recognized as a canopic jar, which in reality was a Goa'uld stasis chamber.

The Tok'ra approached the force field that surrounded Morrigan. "I will place the opening of the chamber into the shield. We will only lower the shield once you are inside the jar and we are sure the host is safe. Then we will hand you over to your jaffa and take you to a planet with a Stargate, where you will be free to go wherever you please."

"I will not leave my ship!"

"You have no choice. Be grateful I do not remove you personally and send you to a far worse place."

Turing her attention back to Daniel, Morrigan glared at him once again. "Pray your people never cross me again, for if you do there will be no escape."

"Not for you anyways." Daniel replied sharply.

As he spoke, Azriel turned the opening of the stasis jar towards Morrigan and pushed it in through the shield just enough to breech it. With one final defiant glare, Morrigan opened her mouth slightly, and after a few seconds Daniel saw the snake-like being jump from the hosts mouth into the canopic jar.

As the Tok'ra gave the signal for the force shield to be lowered, Elizabeth's body slumped over in the throne she was sitting on.

"Elizabeth!" Daniel said, hurrying to her side. He checked her over quickly, and though she was unconscious, she appeared to be okay. Turning back to Azriel, he noted the fact that the lid of the canopic jar had been put in place.

"She seems to be all right." Daniel announced, gaining a nod from Azriel. "Now, can someone explain to me what just happened? How could you let Morrigan blow that planet up?"

"I contacted the High Council. They approved the plan in order to weaken both Morrigan and Anubis."

"But there were innocent people on that planet!"

"Do not worry, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c said, grabbing his friend's shoulder affectionately. "The others are indeed safe."

"They are?"

Teal'c nodded and gave his friend a small smile.

Daniel sighed; relief flooded his mind and heart. They were alive…his family was still alive. "I still don't understand what happened."

"I gave the Jaffa Ha'pac a Tok'ra communicator." Azriel explained. " O'Neill informed us of what had happened and told us that you and Morrigan were on your way back to the ship. I told O'Neill of the Tok'ra's plan to destroy Anubis' ship, and urged them all to leave immediately."

"But all the women weren't cured yet."

"But Morrigan did give you the cure, so the women were placed in what O'Neill called isolation stretchers, and were sent through the Stargate to receive the cure in your facility."

Movement beside interrupted their conversation – Elizabeth Viccars was waking up.

**

* * *

**

Teal'c watched the former Goa'uld host intently as she awoke from unconsciousness. At first she appeared alarmed, but soon her look changed to one of confusion, which in Teal'c's experience, was a common occurrence.

"Elizabeth?" Daniel Jackson said in a low voice. "How are you feeling?"

The woman blinked slowly. "I'm free?"

Daniel Jackson smiled at her. "Yes, you are."

But the relief that was in Elizabeth Viccars' eyes was soon replaced by panic. She bolted upright in the throne and struggled to stand.

"Hey, hey, easy, it's okay." Daniel Jackson said, trying to calm her down.

"But the woman…"

"Don't worry. Morrigan gave us the cure. The women will all be okay."

"No, she won't!" Elizabeth Viccars exclaimed.

Daniel Jackson gave her a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"The first woman was cured. But the second, she was not. The disease within her had advanced too far."

This could mean only one thing; Janet Fraiser could not be cured.

**

* * *

**


	19. Part 18

"Oh, God."

Daniel didn't know what was worse, thinking Janet had died suddenly on that planet, or knowing that she would die slowly and painfully. He had died that way once himself, and he wouldn't wish it on anyone, least of all Janet.

"Will her condition infect the others once again?" Teal'c asked.

Daniel's eyes grew wide at that thought; he'd never even considered that possibility.

"Fortunately, no. Croa'tan is highly contagious, but only in its beginning stages."

"Isn't there anything that can be done for her?" Daniel pleaded, aware of the desperation creeping into his voice.

Elizabeth took a deep breath and glanced down before meeting Daniel's eyes again. "There might be a way to save her." As she spoke, Daniel noticed that Elizabeth had begun twisting the silver ring on her hand.

"Your ring." Daniel noted.

Elizabeth nodded. "It is possible."

Daniel's eyes widened. He turned quickly to Azriel. "Get us to the nearest Stargate." The Tok'ra nodded and quickly made her way over to the Pel'tak's control consol.

"It is what has protected me from the Goa'uld for so long." She continued.

"What exactly happened to you?" Daniel asked. "Your brother wrote an entry in your journal that said they never saw you again."

Elizabeth blinked rapidly as she started to explain, the memories from all those years ago still fresh in her mind. "Six years after giving myself to Morrigan's service, I was given the rank of lo'taur, I was her personal attendant. At the time I was working with Azriel, and I passed on any information I overheard while performing my duties."

"But something went wrong, and you were taken as host?"

"Yes. The System Lord Nirrti had contacted Morrigan under the ruse of forming an alliance. I accompanied Morrigan to the designated meeting location, but as soon as we arrived our ship was fired upon. Morrigan's host…was wounded during our escape…and she…" Elizabeth took a deep breath before continuing. "I barely had time to react before she'd left her host and…"

Blinking back tears, she continued with her story. "The ring did protect me though. It could not free me of her, but it would not allow her to enter my mind. She could only hear my thoughts if I allowed her to. And I used this to my advantage, feeding her lies about the Tok'ra and other things. I did what little I could, but I still couldn't stop her from…"

"It's okay." Daniel said, sensing the grief in her voice. It was obvious she was feeling guilty for not being able to stop Morrigan from terrorizing the people of her planet. "There was nothing more you could have done."

Elizabeth nodded, though the strain in her face was still evident.

"Listen, you've been through a lot," Daniel said softly. "Some rest would probably do you some good."

She nodded in agreement.

Daniel turned to Teal'c. "Would you mind…?"

"Certainly, Daniel Jackson." The Jaffa nodded. "Please come with me, Elizabeth Viccars."

"Thank you." Elizabeth said quietly as she allowed Teal'c to escort her from the Pel'tak.

Daniel sighed as he watched them leave. Elizabeth had been saved. Now all he could do was hope that Janet could be saved too.

* * *

The Stargate shut off with a snap as Daniel, Teal'c, and Elizabeth came down the ramp in the SGC. General Hammond was standing at the base of the ramp waiting to greet them.

"Welcome back." The General said to Daniel. "But I'm afraid I have bad news. The other women are recuperating in the infirmary, however, Doctor Fraiser is still inflicted with the disease…I'm sorry, son, but it doesn't look good."

Daniel nodded before gesturing towards Elizabeth who was standing behind him.

"Doctor Jackson!" The General reprimanded. "You did not receive permission to bring a guest."

"I know, General, and I'm sorry. But this is Elizabeth Viccars, former host of the Goa'uld Morrigan – and Janet's only hope of being cured."

The General absorbed those words quickly and gave a sharp nod of approval; he'd learned early on that Daniel Jackson was man whose judgment could be trusted. "Go!"

Daniel nodded his appreciation and quickly led Elizabeth down the corridor towards the base elevators. Given the condition Janet was in the last time he saw her, there was no time to lose.

As they waited for the elevator to arrive, Daniel couldn't help but notice a mix of wonder and bewilderment in Elizabeth's eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I haven't been on Earth in many, many years. Much has changed."

Daniel couldn't help a small smile. "Well, trust me," he said as they stepped through the elevator doors, "there are much nicer places to see than this."

"The beach?" Elizabeth said with a hopeful look.

"Well, actually the ocean is pretty far away."

"Oh." She said, sounding disappointed.

"But who knows? Maybe we can work something out." As Daniel was speaking the elevator doors opened up on Level 21. "Follow me." He said, walking quickly towards the infirmary.

Peeking his head through the infirmary door, he saw Andrew Carmichael across the room looking over a medical chart. "Dr. Carmichael." Daniel said, grabbing the man's attention. "Where's Janet?"

When Dr. Carmichael saw Daniel standing there, he immediately dropped the file he was holding on the counter and walked towards him. The doctor stopped short when he saw the person Daniel was with. "Morrigan?"

"No, this is Elizabeth Viccars. Morrigan's former host." Daniel quickly explained. "We need to see Janet."

"I'll take you to her." The doctor said with a nod. With that he turned and led them towards the isolation labs.

A few minutes later, Dr. Carmichael stopped in front of Janet's room. "She's in there, and she's still sedated. We couldn't bandage her lesions because it only made them worse. As far as the disease goes…I think I should tell you, it doesn't look good."

Daniel nodded, but he wasn't ready to give up on her. Not yet. Not when the answer could be right there with him. Taking a breath, Daniel mentally prepared himself for what he was about to see before opening up the door to Janet's room.

The familiarly incessant beeping of the monitors was somewhat comforting to Daniel as looked over at Janet's bed. His heart lurched when he saw her condition. The lesions and boils from the disease covered every inch of her body. Fleetingly Daniel thought she looked much like he did when he was going through radiation poisoning.

Only to Daniel, seeing her like this felt worse than when he was dying himself.

She looked so small and vulnerable. Not like the Janet who could make officers twice her size quake in fear. Not like the Janet who often braved war zones to help the wounded. She looked frail, broken.

And without her, he would be broken too.

Tearing his eyes off of Janet, he tried to gauge Elizabeth's response to Janet's condition. Sadness dominated her green eyes. "I did this." She whispered, almost inaudibly.

"No. Morrigan did this. You are as much a victim as Janet is. Do you think you can help her?"

"You and your friends have saved my people. This is the very least that I can do in return." Elizabeth said, stepping beside Janet's bed. Elizabeth removed the claddagh ring from her hand, and gently slipped it onto one of Janet's fingers.

Daniel licked his lips nervously as he watched. This just had to work.

Taking Janet's hand in her own, Elizabeth took a deep breath and said the words, "Let Love and Friendship Reign Forever."

Daniel watched in amazement as a warm golden glow seemed to flow out from the ring on Janet's hand until it had encompassed both her body, and that of Elizabeth. The glow continued to get brighter until Daniel had to look away from the painful brightness of the light. After a few long minutes the light gradually began to subside from them, retreating back into the ring from where it had come.

When Daniel's eyes had readjusted, he looked over at Janet and was surprised to find that the lesions and boils that had marred her skin beyond recognition had been completely erased. Reaching out, he gently slipped one of his hands into hers, while his other hand caressed her cheek. Janet sighed softly and leaned into his touch, as though she was merely in a peaceful sleep. Tears leapt into Daniel's eyes at this, and he vowed never to take a single moment with her for granted.

Daniel over at Elizabeth, who was still perched on the other side of Janet's bed. He opened his mouth to thank her, but as he did he suddenly noticed how pale the woman's complexion had become. "Elizabeth, are you all right?"

"Daniel, I…"

But the rest of her words were lost as Elizabeth Viccars collapsed onto the floor.

* * *


	20. Part 19

Doctor Andrew Carmichael was called to an emergency in Janet's isolation room. '_This is it,'_ he thought to himself as he ran down the corridor, still cursing his inability to help Dr. Fraiser.

What he found when he burst into Janet's room, was not what he was expecting. Dr. Carmichael did a double take when he saw Janet's condition. Not 15 minutes ago she was on her deathbed, and now she looked as healthy as he had ever seen her.

"Dr. Carmichael!" the urgent sound of Daniel's voice dragged his mind back to reality. Lying unconscious on the floor was Morrigan's former host.

"What happened?" Andrew asked as he kneeled to the floor and quickly checked the woman's vital signs.

"I don't know. She cured Janet, and then all of the sudden she collapsed."

"She's got a faint pulse." Dr. Carmichael said to the medical team that had just arrived in the doorway. "Get her back to the infirmary and get her stabilized!" Knowing there wasn't a moment to lose, the medical team quickly lifted Elizabeth's body onto a gurney, and wheeled her down the hallway.

In a daze Daniel walked back over to Janet and grabbed her hand once again, the recent events replaying in his mind. One minute she was fine and the next… The feel of warm metal caught his attention. Looking down at her hand he noted that Janet was still wearing the claddagh ring.

Her voice rang in his ears. "This is the very least that I can do." Elizabeth had said…

Daniel gasped as understanding hit him like a ton of bricks.

She had known all along that this would happen.

* * *

A dense fog had somehow enveloped her mind, though surprisingly she felt no pain. She fought her way to the surface, pushing past the haziness that still swarmed around her. A familiar noise seemed to be getting louder, though she was having trouble placing what it was. She concentrated on the sound until the mist had finally cleared itself from her mind.

A small moan escaped her lips as her eyes fluttered open for a split second. Painful light invaded her sensitive eyes and her eyelids snapped shut in response.

"Janet?" A familiar voice whispered from somewhere nearby. Opening her eyes more slowly this time, she looked towards the voice she had heard. Her vision slowly cleared, until she saw that the person standing next to her was Daniel.

She smiled weakly at him, though she couldn't for the life of her remember how she had ended up here.

"Hey." He said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "How are you feeling?"

"What…what happened?" Janet said, her voice sounding a bit shaky.

"It's a long story." Daniel said, bending down to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. "You've been through a lot the past three days."

Confusion filled her eyes. "I don't…remember."

"It's okay. I'll explain everything to you later. Right now you just need to rest."

"Tell me what happened." Janet insisted.

Daniel couldn't help but smile at her words; she was as stubborn as ever. "We were on P3X-290. You, Sam, and several others got very sick."

"Sam?"

"Don't worry, I just checked on her and she's okay. And so are the others."

Janet nodded, but Daniel could tell that the need for sleep was about to overpower her. "You need to rest. I'll tell you everything later, okay?"

She nodded again, her mind already starting to drift. "Daniel?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I yelled at you…" She murmured as she fell asleep.

* * *

Seeing that Janet was resting peacefully, Daniel decided to go find Dr. Carmichael. Elizabeth had been wheeled away more than an hour ago, and he still didn't know how she was doing.

Gently closing the door behind him, Daniel weaved his way through the corridor and into the infirmary. He found Elizabeth lying in the bed closest to the door, looking much older than she had before.

"How is she?" Daniel asked a nurse who was passing by.

"Stable, but her body is aging rapidly. Just like…"

"Apophis' host." Daniel finished with a nod. "Is she conscious?"

"In and out."

"Thank you." He said, letting the nurse go back to her duties.

Daniel buried his hands in his pockets and approached the bed slowly, unsure of what to do.

He had just turned to leave when a voice called him back. "Daniel?"

He wheeled back around and gave her a small smile. "I didn't want to bother you."

"You aren't."

"I just came by to see how you were doing…and to say, I really appreciate what you did for Janet."

"It was the least I could do."

"I don't just mean curing her. I mean sacrificing yourself to cure her."

Before continuing, Daniel walked over and sat in the chair that was next to her bed. "Your ring protected you, it kept you from dying after Morrigan was gone. But to cure Janet you took the ring off and put it on her."

Elizabeth sighed. "Yes, there was no other way. Complete healing is only given to the wearer of the ring. Healing by touch alone can only be done if the damage isn't that severe."

"Can it help you now?"

Elizabeth gave him a small smile. "I've already been saved."

Daniel nodded and stared at the floor.

"I wonder if you could do me a favor though?"

"Anything."

"May I talk with the descendents of my brother?"

"Yes, of course."

"And is it possible that…"

"What?"

"When it is my time…would you be kind enough to return me to Roanoke?"

Daniel smiled sadly and nodded, "I promise."

* * *


	21. Part 20

The following week things at the SGC were returning to normal. The women of the village of Hereford were given a clean bill of heath, and were relocated through the Stargate. For the first time in 400 years, they were free.

Despite her worsening condition, Elizabeth Viccars had lived long enough to speak with Robert and Elyn Viccars, and to give Elyn a special gift. It was a precious family heirloom that had been passed down among the generations, a silver claddagh ring.

As promised, Daniel took Elizabeth's ashes off the coast of the Outer Banks in North Carolina and laid her to rest.

Enjoying the tranquility of the lapping water, he began to understand the fondness that Elizabeth Viccars had for beaches. Daniel smiled sadly at the thought of Elizabeth, after 400 years, her journey was over. At least now she was back where she belonged, where she wanted to be.

"What is it?"

Janet's words snapped him out of his reverie. He gave her a smile as he sat down beside her on the sand. "Just thinking about Elizabeth." He said, wrapping his arms around Janet and pulling her close. "And how grateful I am to her."

Janet smiled as she collapsed into the warmth of Daniel's arms. But all too soon, he was pulling back from her. "Is something wrong?" Janet asked, noting the anxious look in his eyes.

"We haven't really talked about what happened last week…"

Janet gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm better now, Daniel. You don't have to worry."

"No, that's not what I meant."

A confused look crossed over Janet's face. "What is it then?"

"I'm…sorry that I forgot our anniversary."

Janet's eyes widened and she let out a disbelieving laugh. "After all that happened you're still worried about a silly fight?"

Daniel grabbed Janet's hand before answering. "It's not that, well, it is kinda…" He let out a sharp breath and continued. "I love you, Janet. And I don't want you to ever doubt how much you mean to me."

"Oh, Daniel…" The earnestness of his expression warmed her soul. "I have never doubted your feelings for me. I was just…tired and angry that night, and I said some things I didn't mean."

"Me too." Daniel said, sounding relieved as he drew her back into his arms.

"I have something for you." He whispered.

Janet pulled back from him, curiosity glinting in her brown eyes. "Oh? What is it?"

"You have to close your eyes."

Janet looked at him quizzically before complying. "Okay…" Janet said, sliding her eyes shut.

Daniel opened the palm of her hand, and after placing a small something inside, he closed her hand back into a fist.

"All right, you can look now."

Janet opened both her eyes and her hand, and gasped as she saw what Daniel had given her. It was a sterling silver ring – a claddagh ring. Tears sprung into her eyes as she inspected the gift. She had seen many claddagh rings before, but never one quite this beautiful. The ring still had the traditional claddagh symbols, two hands holding onto a crowned heart. But in this ring, the center of it featured a stunning heart-cut ruby.

"Oh, Daniel…" She breathed.

"Like it?" Daniel asked, the inflection of his voice sounding both nervous and hopeful.

"I love it." Janet said, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"That's not all." He said mysteriously.

"Oh?"

"Look closer."

Turing the ring over in her hand, Janet noticed that the inside of the band had been engraved. Inspecting the etching closely, she read the words that were written. "Let Our Love and Friendship Reign Forever."

Daniel saw tears glistening in Janet's eyes as she slipped the ring on her finger.

She stared at the ring on her finger for a minute before she speaking again. "I'm part Irish, you know."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh, on my mother's side. And to the Irish, the way a claddagh ring is worn is considered to be very important."

"The way it's worn…" Daniel repeated. "Like, what direction it faces?"

"Yes, exactly."

Looking down at the ring he noted the heart of the ring was facing inwards, towards Janet. "So, what does that way mean?" He asked, gesturing towards her hand.

Janet smiled and snuggled closer to him before she replied. "It shows the world that I've given my heart to someone."

As Daniel held her close, feelings of utter serenity washed over him like a soothing tidal wave that reached into the very depths of his being.

And for the first time in what felt like so long, Daniel was whole again.


End file.
